Stay with me
by TbcAddict
Summary: When Merlin becomes Arthur Pendragon's PA,he hates the man. But as time goes by and they become friend, Arthur's feelings evolve to something more, even though Merlin is taken. When Arthur starts receiving anonymous letters threatening him, Merlin insists to help him, which turns out to be more dangerous than they thought, and lead them to the point where they can't pretend anymore
1. Chapter 1

_Hi! So this is my first attempt at writing a full story in English so I hope it's not too bad, and that you'll enjoy it!_

* * *

Chapter 1

Merlin was freaking out. In a bit more than two hours, he would attend the most important interview of his life. If he managed not to completely humiliate himself, he would finally get a job, and he was quite sure that being PA to the CEO of the biggest company in London would bring enough money for him not to live on Will's earnings anymore. He loved his boyfriend, but he didn't want to owe him everything they had.

Lost in his own thoughts, Merlin entered his favorite coffee shop without watching where he was going, and ended up bursting into someone.

He lifted his head to meet the eyes of an incredibly handsome, blond-haired and blue-eyed man who was glaring daggers at him.

\- Hum… Sorry.

\- Yeah, you'd better be! You almost spilled my coffee on my suit, and it's worth more than your own life! The man snapped.

\- Well, I didn't spill it, did I? So maybe you could stop yelling at me and actually learn how to be polite!

The man's eyed widened, until he glared even more.

\- Excuse me? I don't think you know who you're talking to!

\- Oh, no, I do. I'm talking to an insufferable prat who thinks he's better than anyone else! And now, if you'll excuse me, I have more important things to do, like buying my own coffee.

Without much more ceremony, Merlin turned his back and went to the counter, leaving the prat behind him, his jaw hanging.

When Merlin finally had his coffee and turned to the door again, the prat was nowhere in sight. Sighing out of relief, he happily left the shop and headed for the Pendragon's Company's building, hoping everything would be fine. He had to admit he had never been really interested in companies, and probably couldn't recognize Arthur Pendragon if he met him, but he was willing to prove he could be good at the job nonetheless.

* * *

When he finally arrived, he was a bit early, which was quite unusual since he was generally always late, and a woman named Gwen led him to Pendragon's office, saying he was ready to receive him.

Merlin ran a hand through his hair and followed her before entering the office. His smile dropped as well as his entire jaw when he saw Arthur Pendragon. The prat from the coffee shop. He hoped he would maybe not recognize him, but it was obvious that he did if the way he squinted his eyes was anything to judge by.

\- You. You're Merlin, the prat –Arthur –stated, disbelief written all over his face.

Merlin rolled his eyes and sighed.

\- Well, I guess I'll just leave then, we both know I'll never get the job.

\- Do you regret the way you talked to me ?

\- No, Merlin admitted. You're a prat, I still think that. I just didn't know you were a rich one.

Arthur curled his lips, and walked back to his desk.

\- Yes, well, about that. How could you not know who I am? I mean, my face is pretty much everywhere. Everyone knows me, Arthur said with a smug grin.

\- Oh, there it is again, you're being an ass. And now, I'm leaving, thanks for receiving me, _Mister Pendragon._

Merlin had said his name with as little respect as he could, and was making his way outside when Arthur called him.

\- I guess you don't want the job, then.

\- As if you would ever give it to me, Merlin stated with a roll of his eyes. The man really was annoying.

\- Actually, Pendragon said, I will. If you want it.

Merlin turned over to face him, his eyes impossibly wide.

\- What ?

\- Oh god, are you deaf as well as daft?

\- But you hate me… And I you.

\- True. But see, being the boss is boring, no one ever challenged me. You could be fun.

Merlin bit his lip. He wasn't sure he actually wanted to work for such an ass, but he knew he couldn't miss a job opportunity. So he ended up taking Arthur's offer and left, feeling like he had just made a deal with the devil. A very good-looking devil, but still.

Merlin had just left when Morgana entered Arthur's office.

\- Morgana, to what to I owe the displeasure of seeing you ?

\- I heard you took a new PA, Morgana purred with a wicked smile.

\- I did. Since you wouldn't stop harassing me as long as I didn't have one, he reminded her while glaring at her.

Morgana jumped on the desk, and smiled even wider.

\- I guess your new PA is the man who just walked out of here. Merlin, is that it ?

\- It is, and you know it. _You_ wanted me to give him an appointment.

\- True. You'll see, brother dear, I'm sure you and… Merlin will get along perfectly.

Arthur snorted, and Morgana left the room.

* * *

When Merlin got home, Will was already back from his own work, and was waiting for him on the couch.

\- Hey! How did the interview go?

\- I got the job, Merlin said without much enthusiasm.

\- Why ain't you happier then ? You look like someone kicked your puppy !

\- I am happy, it's just… My boss is a useless prat.

\- Pendragon ? Well, I can't say I'm surprised, I heard rumors.

\- What rumors ?

Will opened his mouth before closing it again.

\- Nothing you should hear about, since you're to work for him.

Merlin tried to get him to talk, but Will wouldn't say anything. At last, he gave in and went to bed, wondering if he would survive his first day. He wouldn't be surprised if Arthur was waiting for him with a list of things to do longer than his desk.

* * *

The next morning, Merlin woke up late, and cursed. He jumped in his clothes and somehow managed to arrive on time, only to find Arthur scowling at him.

\- You're late.

\- I'm not! I'm supposed to start at eight, and it is…

\- Three past eight.

\- Are you really going to be mad for three minutes ? Merlin asked as if Arthur was dumb. Which he probably was.

\- Yes, Merlin, I am. And your punishment….

\- Wait, punishment ? I may be working for you but I'm not your slave, you prat!

\- Oh, yes, you'll have to stop calling me that too, Arthur ordered with a smug smile. Anyway, as I was saying, your punishment will be to bring me my lunch. Every day. Until you stop working here.

Merlin opened disbelieving eyes and glared at Arthur.

\- Now, you're already late, so why are still here and not at your desk taking calls and do whatever you're meant to do ?

Merlin held back an insult. Gods, he hated that man.

Fortunately, the rest of the day was much more bearable. Merlin met his new coworkers. Gwen, who he had met the day before, was a very nice woman who was always willing to help if he didn't understand something. Valiant and Cenred seemed to be tossers, and looked at Merlin as though they hated him for some reasons, and he actually didn't want to know what the reason was. Then came Gwaine, who Merlin had immediately liked.

Merlin was trying to memorize Arthur's schedule when an impressive, dark-haired woman stopped at his desk, looking at him with a dreadful smile.

\- Uh… Hello.

\- You're Merlin, right ? She asked, holding her hand. I'm Morgana. Morgana Pendragon. Don't let my idiotic brother impress you, he might seem harsh but he's really nothing more than a cute puppy.

Merlin looked at her, appalled, when Arthur suddenly came out of nowhere.

\- Don't worry dear sister, Merlin here already shows me no respect. He doesn't need you to teach him how to do it.

\- I'll show you some respect when you'll be worth of it, Merlin mumbled, and Morgana laughed.

\- Oh, I love him already! This is going to be so much fun !

Still chuckling, she turned her back on them and left. Arthur sat on the desk, not caring he was crushing Merlin's files, and ignoring his protests.

\- You should stay away from her, she's nothing but an horrific witch.

\- Well, she still seems nicer than you, Merlin snapped.

Arthur chuckled and got up.

\- Yeah, whatever you say, Merlin. So, what do I have to do this afternoon ?

\- Nothing until three. Then you have a meeting with uh… Nimueh .

\- Good! Then you can come with me !

\- Where? Merlin asked suspiciously.

\- To the loo so I can rape you! To have lunch, Merlin, what do you think?

\- I thought I only had to bring you lunch, not that I would have to eat it with you, Merlin muttered.

\- Stop acting like it's such a chore, you should be honored to eat with me! Arthur snapped, bothered by Merlin's attitude.

Merlin stuck his tongue out at him, and Arthur burst in laughter, before shaking his head and telling Merlin to follow him.

* * *

He led him to a fancy restaurant, and Merlin couldn't help but gasp at the luxury of it. He had never been in such a place. Arthur noticed, and turned to him with a cocky smile.

\- Never been in a luxurious restaurant, Merlin, have you?

\- Not all of us can be the richest man in London, you know.

\- Yes, I noticed that when I saw your clothes. Honestly, it's a wonder they even let us in.

Merlin glared at him, and Arthur grinned. A waiter led them to their table, and gave them the menus. Merlin had never eaten almost half of the dishes, and had no idea what to choose.

\- You should try the lobster, Arthur hinted.

\- Have you seen the price? How can food be that expensive ?

\- I'm paying, Merlin, so stop worrying about that.

\- Yes, well, now that you talk about it, why are you buying me lunch ?

\- Because I had no one else to spend lunch with, and I hate being alone even more than I hate your annoying voice, Arthur answered casually, as if he didn't just insult Merlin.

Merlin grumbled but didn't add anything, and ended up ordering lobster.

\- So, Arthur said, what about you ?

\- What about me ?

\- Where do you come from ?

\- Why do you care?

\- I don't. I'm just trying not to die out of boredom here. Tell me, did you even ever got laid ?

Merlin choked and looked at Arthur with wide eyes.

\- I mean, Arthur continued as if nothing had happened, with ears like yours, I wouldn't be surprised if no girl had ever wanted you.

\- Well, Merlin snapped, I do get laid, if you must know.

\- Oh really?

\- Yeah. Want me to call my boyfriend so he can tell you?

This time, it was Arthur's turn to open wide eyes, and he made a face that Merlin couldn't quite decipher. But before he could properly wonder what it meant, it was gone.

\- You don't have a problem with me being gay, do you?

\- That would be a bit hypocritical of me, Merlin, Arthur answered like it was obvious, and Merlin nearly choked again.

 _\- You_?

\- Yes, Merlin, me. And just so you know, I do get laid quite a lot too, he added with a cocky smile, and Merlin rolled his eyes.

By the time Merlin left the office, he didn't really think Arthur was that bad anymore. Sure, he was an annoying prat, but he had to admit he did like having lunch with him. Arthur could be quite nice when he wasn't yelling at him or making fun of him.

* * *

Two months later, Arthur had actually made a habit of taking Merlin with him for lunch, even though his PA insisted he didn't feel comfortable with Arthur paying for him all the time. But when Merlin thought about it, he had to admit he now considered Arthur more as a friend than as a boss, and he had come to appreciate their daily banter, knowing that Arthur didn't mean everything he said.

Merlin had also become good friends with Gwaine, who was often taking him out at night when Will was working. As a lawyer, Will had to work many nights, and Merlin was pretty grateful that Gwaine was forcing him out of the house, especially since he and Will had started to fight more often than not, for various reasons, and Merlin didn't understand what had gotten into his boyfriend and why he was so moody.

Merlin hadn't seen much of Morgana since the first day, but every time he passed her, she sent him unreadable looks, and he felt quite uncomfortable. Arthur had told him not to care about it, and that Morgana just loved to trouble people.

That day, Merlin was hungry, and Arthur should have arrived to take him to lunch half an hour ago. He got bored and got up to knock at Arthur's door. Maybe he had been so busy he didn't realize it was midday. When no one answered him, he simply opened the door and walked in.

Arthur was sitting at his desk, a sheet of paper between his hand and looking like he had seen a ghost. He barely heard Merlin but raised his head.

\- Merlin. What are you doing here ?

\- It's lunchtime. I thought you were too busy to notice so I came to tell you.

\- Oh. Right. Well thank you but I won't be eating today. You may go.

Merlin frowned and moved forward.

\- Are you ill ?

\- No, why would you think that?

\- I've known you for two months and you never skipped a meal. Actually I'm pretty sure that you would eat twice if you could!

Arthur lifted his head and scowled.

\- Are you saying I'm fat, Merlin?

\- No, I'm saying you never skip a meal. So what is wrong ?

\- Nothing, I'm busy, that's all.

Merlin raised his eyebrow even higher than his uncle Gaius ever did, showing Arthur he absolutely didn't believe him. Then, before Arthur could say anything, he grabbed the piece of paper. Arthur immediately got up, trying to get it back.

\- Merlin! Give me that!

\- Nope! I… What the hell is that? He asked, dropping the paper as if it had bit him.

Arthur sighed, and leaned back again the desk.

\- Who is it from? Merlin insisted.

\- How would I know, Merlin? Arthur snapped. In case you didn't notice, whoever it is didn't exactly put his name on it!

Merlin rubbed his temples, and sighed.

\- Do you have any idea what it can be about?

\- I guess it must be about the campaign to be business man of the year, but I can't be sure.

Merlin picked the paper and read it again.

\- "You'd better back off if you don't want your life to be ruined". Yeah I guess it could be it but…

\- But what ?

\- I don't know, it feels personal. You're sure you don't have enemies?

\- I have a lot of enemies, Merlin.

Arthur sighed and took the paper back before throwing in on the desk.

\- Anyway, it must be some kind of bad joke. Nothing to worry about.

Merlin thought about arguing, but Arthur's look stopped him from doing so. Arthur walked to the door, and then looked at him expectantly.

\- Well, are you coming or not? I thought you wanted to have lunch.

Merlin knew Arthur was putting on an act and trying to distract him so he wouldn't try to help, but there was not much he could do right now. So he nodded and followed his friend outside, knowing they wouldn't talk about the anonymous threat again.

* * *

Two days later, Merlin was sick of it. Arthur was doing his best, pretending nothing was going on, but he knew better than that, and he knew Arthur was worried. So, he burst in Arthur's office and stood near his chair, looking at him expectantly.

\- What is this about, Merlin?

\- I'm done.

\- I'm sorry, what?

\- I said, I'm done, Merlin said emphasizing every sentence as if talking to a child.

\- Yes, I heard that. Would you mind to develop?

\- Stop pretending you're not bothered by that letter.

Arthur sighed.

\- So that's what this is about.

\- Yes. I know you mind, and I know you're concerned about it, so stop pouting and do something about it!

\- There is nothing to do, Merlin, Arthur stated calmly.

\- Have you gone to the police?

Arthur said nothing, and it was enough of an answer for Merlin.

\- Why not? Are you really that stupid?!

\- Police won't do anything, Merlin, they never do.

Merlin sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Suddenly, he squinted his eyes and looked at Arthur suspiciously.

\- What?

\- Have you been receiving other letters?

\- Now what are you talking about? Stop saying nonsense, would you ?

\- You _have_!

\- Yes, alright! I got another one. Well, almost the same one actually, but sent at my home, and then another at the office, are you happy now?

Arthur was now standing in front of him, and Merlin bit his lip.

\- I only want to help you, you know.

\- Yes, I do. I'm sorry for yelling at you, all right? I just…

Arthur didn't have the chance to finish his sentence before he was pulled into a hug.

\- Merlin, what are you doing?

\- Comforting you. You looked like you needed it.

Arthur thought about throwing Merlin away, but gave the idea up and awkwardly wrapped his arms around the slimmer man's waist, trying to remind himself that it didn't mean anything. Merlin was only trying to be a friend. But he couldn't help the way he felt, and he nuzzled his face in the crook of his friend's neck. He sighed, and allowed himself to be weak, for once.

\- I'm scared, Merlin, he muttered, barely loud enough for Merlin to hear.

Merlin backed up of a few centimeters, and looked straight in Arthur's eyes.

\- Then you shouldn't be staying at your home.

Arthur chuckled.

\- And where would I go? Anyway, I'm not leaving. I won't give that son of a bitch the satisfaction of watching me leave my home.

\- Because it's so much better to get slaughtered in your house, is that it?

\- Please, Merlin, they're not going to slaughter me!

\- How would you know? Some freak sends you threatening letters and knows where you live, it's not safe to stay there!

\- They also know where I work, are you gonna ask me to quit?

\- It's not the same, Arthur. You're safe at work, there are many people. But you live alone.

\- I'm not leaving, Merlin.

\- You could come at mine. We have another room, it would be safer.

\- No! I'm not leaving my home, and I'm definitely not coming at yours.

\- Why not?

\- Because I won't! Besides, I'm not sure your boyfriend would appreciate if I endanger you. I wouldn't, if I were him, Arthur snapped.

\- He doesn't need to know, Merlin says quietly.

\- What do you mean?

\- Well, I can tell him you need a roof because you have troubles with your hot water tank. We don't have to tell him you're being harassed.

Arthur rolled his eyes.

\- That's stupid, Merlin. And I already told you no.

\- But you still haven't said why.

\- Because I'm not putting you in danger!

Merlin looked up at him and smiled fondly.

\- That's why you don't want to live with me?

Arthur groaned. He wanted to live with Merlin, he did. But not like that. Not because he would be hiding, not if it could endanger Merlin, and definitely not with his stupid boyfriend. But he couldn't very well say that, so he scowled at him.

Before he could realize what was happening, Merlin's soft lips were pressing against his own. Arthur kissed back, and wrapped his arms against Merlin, holding him tight. Too soon, Merlin was pulling back, a horrified look on his face. He covered his mouth with his hands and stumbled back.

\- I… I'm sorry. I should never have… I'm sorry.

Arthur couldn't help but be disappointed. Of course Merlin would be sorry and regret their kiss.

\- It's fine, Merlin, he assured with as much self-assurance as he could. Nothing happened.

Merlin nodded awkwardly and almost ran to the door, but stopped before opening it.

\- It doesn't change anything, you know… If you change your mind and want to come home, you can.

Arthur nodded, and Merlin mumbled another "sorry" before leaving. Arthur sat back at his desk and groaned loudly. His life was a real mess. Some wanker was harassing him, and when l managed to kiss Merlin, it might ruin their friendship. He wanted nothing more than to die here and now, but he knew life wouldn't be that nice to him.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Merlin flew out of Arthur's office in a hurry. God, what had he done ? What if that stupid kiss ruined everything between him and Arthur?

Without even realizing it, he had headed to Gwaine's desk. The long-haired man was talking in the phone absent-mindedly and frowned when he saw Merlin. He put the phone aside for a second and asked if everything was alright, before humming to whoever he was talking to.

\- I kissed Arthur, Merlin burst out, and Gwaine hanged up immediately.

\- You what ?

\- I kissed Arthur, Merlin sighed.

Gwaine got up and laughed.

\- Why the fuck are you laughing? It's not funny, Gwaine!

\- Come on, Merlin, it is! I can't believe you and Arthur finally made out, I was beginning to think you would never do it!

\- We didn't _make out_! It was barely a kiss!

\- Then why are you so upset about it? And why didn't you tell me you had thrown Will the tosser away?

\- Gwaine! Will and I are still together!

Merlin glared at him, annoyed by his friend's reaction, and Gwaine frowned.

\- Wait, you didn't leave him?

\- 'Course not!

\- Then… Why did you kiss Arthur?

Merlin sighed, and sat on the desk, shrugging.

\- I don't know. We were talking and then…

Gwaine sat next to him, and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

\- Well, at least now you know how the princess feels about you.

\- What are you talking about? Merlin asked, frowning.

\- God, Merlin, are you really that dumb? Arthur loves you.

Merlin burst in laughter, and Gwaine rolled his eyes.

\- What? No he doesn't! Gwaine, come on, that's not funny.

\- I'm not joking. He does. And I think you do too.

\- I don't! I love Will, and you know that! Merlin snapped.

\- Oh, yeah, the man who leaves you alone almost every night, and who yells at you when he deigns to spent time with you? Gwaine snapped back.

Merlin gasped, and got up from the desk to stand in front of Gwaine, arms crossed on his chest and daggers in his eyes.

\- Enough, Gwaine! You have no right to talk about the man I love that way!

\- Oh yeah, and you love him so much that you kiss another man behind his back! Look, Merlin, all I'm trying to say is that as much as Arthur is an annoying prat, he loves you way more than Will ever could, and you don't even see it! I care about you, you know, that's why I'm telling you you should give Arthur a try. Especially since you love him back, even though you don't want to admit it! Everyone here knows it!

Gwaine had gotten up too, and Merlin was about to respond when someone cut in.

\- Everyone knows what?

Merlin jumped on the side, not having expecting Morgana to pop up from nowhere.

\- That your brother and Merlin are mad for each other.

\- Oh, I hoped for something better. I knew that since the very second Merlin walked in Arthur's office, Morgana grinned.

Merlin rolled his eyes, and rubbed his temples.

\- They kissed, Gwaine said casually.

\- Gwaine! Merlin hissed, scowling.

\- Really? Morgana's eyes widened. Dear God, I'm going to have so much fun annoying Arthur now that he's got a boyfriend! Thank you Merlin, really.

Merlin sighed at Morgana's wicked grin, and Gwaine snorted.

\- What? She snapped, turning her head to Gwaine.

\- They're not together, Merlin doesn't want to leave his boyfriend.

\- You kissed my brother without any intention of being with him?

Morgana was walking threateningly towards him, and Merlin stumbled back. Damn, that woman scared him.

\- Well… Arthur's totally fine with pretending nothing happened, he tried, offering a weak smile.

\- That's what he told you? Well, excuse me now, I need to talk to my brother.

Morgana turned her back to them and walked quickly towards Arthur's office. Merlin turned his head to glare at Gwaine, who shrugged.

\- What? When Morgana asks what's going on, you'd better tell her, and you know it.

\- I hate you, Merlin grumbled.

\- No you don't. But think about what I said, Merlin.

\- I won't. That kiss meant nothing, I love Will and I'm going to marry him, and I don't care what you think.

Merlin went to go back to his own desk but Gwaine grabbed his arm.

\- You're going to marry him? He asked slowly, eyes wide.

\- Yeah. He hasn't proposed yet, but I found the ring. And when he does, I'll say yes. Now let go of my arm.

\- He can't even hide a ring properly, can he? Gwaine mumbled as Merlin was walking away.

* * *

Morgana hurtled in Arthur's office without knocking, and he jumped a little on his chair before frowning at her.

\- Morgana? What do you want?

\- Why did you tell Merlin the kiss meant nothing?

Arthur didn't even think of asking how she knew, since Morgana knew pretty much everything. Besides, it's not as if she would answer.

\- I didn't say that.

\- Well, that's what he understood. So move your ass and go tell him the truth.

\- No.

\- Excuse me?

\- I say no, Morgs. Merlin made it perfectly clear that it meant nothing to him, and he has a boyfriend, so there's no point in telling him.

\- Arthur… Morgana said as menacingly as she could.

\- Why do you even care? Arthur shouted.

\- I don't. But I think you're being stupid, so I had to tell you.

She went to leave, but stopped when Arthur spoke again.

\- It's all your fault anyway.

\- How can it be my fault?

\- You asked me to give him an appointment; you wanted me to hire him. Why?

\- Because Gwen asked me. Merlin's friend with her new boyfriend, and he was looking for a job, so Lance asked Gwen to ask me.

\- Merlin said he didn't know anyone, so how could he know Gwen?

\- He doesn't. She said Lance has not introduced them yet. I'm not sure why, but does it matter?

\- You want me to believe you did something nice? I know you, Morgana, you never do anything if you don't get something out of it.

\- Well, maybe I'm not the witch you think I am, Morgana stated bitterly before leaving.

Arthur bit his lip and sighed. He couldn't wait for that day to be over.

* * *

Around noon, Merlin came in, and Arthur stiffened. They hadn't seen each other since the kiss, and he was afraid things would be awkward between them from now on.

\- Hey, I uh… Was wondering if you still wanted to eat with me?

\- Sure, Arthur said, why wouldn't I?

Merlin tilted his head and bit his lip.

\- Well…

Arthur sighed and stood up. He needed to fix what had happened, he couldn't lose Merlin's friendship.

\- Look, Merlin. I think we should forget it, alright? We were… Upset by that letter thing, and well… It's just better if we say nothing happened, right?

Merlin smiled and nodded, and Arthur tried to act as if his heart wasn't bleeding. He then took Merlin to lunch, and felt relieved when things turned out not to be -awkward. They easily felt back in their usual banter and teasing, and it seemed their friendship wasn't threatened, after all.

When Merlin came home that night, he actually hoped Will wouldn't be there yet. He wasn't sure he could look him in the eye knowing he had kissed someone else. Sure, Arthur and he had agreed not to talk about it, and that it didn't mean anything, but it was still some kind of cheating. And Merlin was really not comfortable with that idea. It wasn't helping that Arthur was a good kisser either. He would probably feel less guilty if the kiss had been some kind of awful experiment, but it wasn't.

Unfortunately for him, Will was cooking when he came in.

\- Hey, how was your day? Will asked, leaning in for a kiss.

\- Um… good. Like normal day. Where normal things happen. Nothing special.

Will raised an eyebrow and laughed.

\- Okay.

\- You're here early, Merlin stated.

\- I'm not, you're just coming home later than usual, Will smiled.

\- Right. Arthur asked me to stay to help him with some meeting, so…

\- You know, Will cut in, I still think it's weird.

\- What do you mean? Merlin frowned.

\- You're calling him Arthur.

\- Well… That's his name…

\- No, Merlin damn it! His name is Pendragon!

Will had started to yell, startling Merlin.

\- I mean, Will slowly said, he's your boss, not your friend.

\- No, Will, he is. Really, I… I think we're friends.

Will snorted and Merlin tried not to feel offended.

\- God, Merlin he's playing nice with you so you'll do everything he wants, even staying late! How can you not see that?

Now, Merlin was offended. He wasn't stupid. He knew what friendship was like, and he knew Arthur genuinely liked him. He wouldn't buy him expansive lunches if he didn't. But since he had never told Will about the daily lunches, he shut his mouth and shrugged.

\- I'm tired, Merlin said coldly. I'm going to bed.

\- You didn't eat!

\- Not hungry.

And that was true. Arthur had said he was hungry, and had ordered a whole bunch of meals, and obviously couldn't eat it all, so Merlin ended up eating some of it. A lot of it, actually. So he headed for his bed, and didn't move when Will tried to curl up with him.

* * *

About two weeks later, Will was working late, and Merlin went to a bar with Gwaine, who had known better than to mention the kiss again. They were sitting when Arthur came into view, and Merlin frowned. He had never seen the man here before. He elbowed Gwaine and lifted his chin towards Arthur.

\- What is he doing here?

\- How do you want me to know, Merlin? I'm not the man's babysitter, that's your job.

Merlin rolled his eyes and smiled at Arthur when he waved at them.

\- Merlin! Gwaine didn't say you'd be here.

Merlin snorted and rolled his eyes at Gwaine. The long-haired man suddenly got up.

\- Dear God, have you seen that woman over there? I think she winked at me, I'm gonna get laid, bye!

Gwaine ran away from them in a heartbeat, and Merlin and Arthur stared after him, startled.

\- Well, Merlin said, you should take his seat then.

Arthur did as he said, and smile briefly.

\- So, where's your boyfriend?

\- Working. Which is why I let Gwaine take me here, it's still better than staying alone at home.

\- I wouldn't say that being with _Gwaine_ is better than anything else in the world, but if you say so…

Merlin laughed, and Arthur smiled fondly at him.

\- Anyway, he clasped his hands, you came to be with Gwaine, so if you want me to leave, I…

\- Of course not, Merlin cut in loudly. I mean, Gwaine's probably not coming back, so I guess you can stay.

Merlin grinned teasingly and Arthur squinted his eyes.

\- I'm bored, Arthur said a while later. I hate bars.

\- Then why did you come? Merlin asked, rolling his eyes.

\- Good question. I don't know. But I'm bored.

\- Fine, Merlin stood up. Come with me.

\- Where? Arthur frowned.

Merlin held his hand, and Arthur took it even though his question was left unanswered. Merlin led him to the dance floor, located a few meters away from the tables, and Arthur stiffened.

\- Are you asking me to dance with you?

\- No, Merlin answered as if he was dumb. I'm not asking, you don't have a choice.

Arthur wanted to snap something at him, say how a Pendragon will not dance in a stupid bar, but thought better and pulled Merlin in his arms, placing his hand on his waist while his other hand was still locked in Merlin's. Merlin's free hand settled on his shoulder, and Arthur brought their joined hands to his chest, right above his heart. His eyes were locked with the slimmer man's, and he was sure he could drown in them if he stared too long. Arthur had no idea how long they stayed there, dancing, but he knew it would still be too short if it had lasted a lifetime.

In the end, he had to reluctantly let go of Merlin, who smiled and waved at him before entering his car. Arthur sighed and drove home, knowing he would have a hard time sleeping. He parked the car and went to his door, but froze when he saw it was open. He had locked it, he knew it. With his heart beating faster than ever, he pushed it open, and his eyes widened in horror. He gulped, and, after being paralyzed for a few seconds, he ran out of the door and let himself fall against his car, trying to catch his breathing.

Before he knew it, he was calling Merlin. Not long after, his friend was parking his car near Arthur's.

\- Arthur ? Are you alright? You seemed…

Merlin stopped when he realized Arthur was not listening. He kneeled before him so they would be at eye level, and slowly brought his hand on Arthur's shoulder.

\- Arthur?

Arthur finally met his eyes, but didn't utter a word.

\- Are you alright?

Arthur stared at him, and Merlin sighed before getting up. He looked around him and saw the door hanging open. He went to close it, but Arthur grabbed his arm.

\- Don't.

Merlin frowned and freed his arm before heading to the door. He heard Arthur trying to catch up with him, but he was faster and reached the door. He only wanted to close it, but a glance inside convinced him to open it instead. He gasped at the sight. The place was completely wrecked. Furniture were thrown all over the room, the fragile stuffs such as glasses or were broken, but what really caught Merlin's eye was the cat lying on the floor, and the red, dripping "WARNED YOU" that was written all over the wall. Merlin gulped and tried to keep what was left of his self control before walking back to Arthur, who was staring at him with wide eyes.

\- All right, I'm not leaving you a choice anymore, Merlin told him. You can't stay here.

\- I know, I… I'll go with Morgana, Arthur barely said.

\- Arthur, I'm not sure it's a good idea. Morgana and you can barely stand each other more than ten minutes.

\- Yes well, I don't exactly have a choice, do I?

\- Come with me, Merlin suggested again, and Arthur shook his head.

\- No, I… I already told you, I'm not coming into your house.

\- Arthur. It's the easiest and safest way, and you know it. I swear you won't be a burden, I don't mind, and Will won't either.

Arthur was hesitating, but ended up following Merlin anyway.

* * *

When they reached the house, Arthur realized he came with nothing.

\- I don't even have clothes, Merlin.

\- Right. Well I can… Go back tomorrow and…

\- No, Arthur cut in firmly. I'll buy new ones in the morning.

Merlin knew he should insist on not letting Arthur buy everything again, but truth be told, he was relieved he wouldn't have to go back at Arthur's, so he nodded.

\- We'll have to call the police, though.

\- They already know.

Merlin raised an eyebrow.

\- I mean, Arthur explained, not about… But I did call about the letters.

Merlin nodded and led his friend inside. He showed him the house quickly and told him where his room would be. They were both exhausted, and went to bed after calling the police who said they would come in the morning, even though they knew they wouldn't be able to sleep properly.

Merlin knew Arthur was shocked, because who wouldn't be, but he also knew he would never show it. So he would have to make him. Merlin sighed and thought if Will. He had lied to Arthur, he was only too aware of it. Will would mind, and quite a lot. He would already have minded if Merlin had told him Arthur was coming, but he would be furious to learn that Merlin had done it without asking him first. Though, Merlin wouldn't have it any other way. Arthur needed him, and he would not let him down, even if it created tensions with his boyfriend.

He knew he needed to tell Will before Arthur got up though, because it would only be worse if Will came home to find Arthur sitting in his kitchen. So he was almost glad he couldn't sleep, because it meant he would know when Will was home and could talk to him, hoping he would understand and not make a scene. Otherwise Arthur would want to leave, and Merlin couldn't let that happen.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

When Merlin heard the front door shutting closed, he couldn't help but stiffen. Will was home. A few minutes later, he felt the sheets move as his boyfriend got into the bed. Merlin took a deep breath, and turned around.

\- Will?

Will jumped, not having expected Merlin to be awake.

\- Gods, Merlin! Why ain't you sleeping?

\- I couldn't, Merlin sighed.

\- Why not? Are you okay?

Will seemed worried, and Merlin tried to soothe him down.

\- Yeah, I'm fine, I just… Well, it's about Arthur actually.

Even in the dark, Merlin could see Will's jaw tightening.

\- Look, can we please not talk about him? Since we're both awake, I can think of better things than talking about your stupid boss, Will smirked while reaching for him.

Merlin gently batted his hand away, and swallowed, gathering his courage.

\- It's going to be a bit hard not to talk about him since he's sleeping next door, Merlin admitted in one breath.

Will's eyes widened, and he sat up.

\- Please tell me you mean he's sleeping at the neighbour's.

Merlin didn't answer, but he was pretty sure his silence was enough of an answer as Will closed his eyes and leaned back.

\- What the fuck is he doing here?

\- Look, he had… Well, has problems and he couldn't stay at his own home, what did you want me to do? Let him sleep in the street?

\- I think if someone has enough money to live in a hotel for the rest of his life, it's him, Merlin. He would hardly have been in the street!

It suddenly struck Merlin that the hotel solution had never even occurred to him. But then, Arthur didn't mention it either. Even though Will was right, and Arthur could easily have booked a room, Merlin knew it wouldn't have been a good idea. The last thing his friend needed was to be alone. But he wasn't sure he could ever make Will see things that way.

\- He couldn't stay alone, he sighed at last.

\- Why not? Poor little Pendragon can't sleep in a empty house?

\- No, because the cops said so!

Merlin had almost shouted, annoyed by the way Will talked about Arthur. Even if he didn't like him, he had no right to mock him.

Will remained silent for a while, gasping, before he narrowed his eyes.

\- Cops? What the fuck are you talking about? What did Pendragon drag you into? What did he do?

\- For God's sake, Will, he didn't do anything! His house has been… robbed. Badly, all right. And the cops said he should stay somewhere else for a while.

\- Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure that if it was our house that had been robbed, he wouldn't have been so eager for us to stay with him. Probably wouldn't even have offered us to.

Merlin rolled his eyes in anger.

\- Of course he would have! You don't even know him, Will, so please stop acting like he's the devil himself!

\- Oh, no, wait, he would probably have been very eager for you to stay, just without me, Will snapped and Merlin gasped.

\- What is that supposed to mean?

\- It means that I want that man out of my home tomorrow at dawn. And that he should be glad I'm not throwing him outside right now.

Merlin's jaw clenched, and he brutally leaned back against the wall.

\- It's my home too, Will, and he's staying.

\- So what, you're going to chose him over me?

Will's eyes were challenging, and Merlin was exhausted. He didn't want to fight, he only wanted Will to say yes. He knew Arthur was in deep troubles, and he was pretty sure he would never sleep well again if he was always worrying over him. For both of their sakes, Arthur needed to stay. However, he could understand why Will was against it, even though he didn't understand why he hated the richer man so much.

\- No, I'm not. Look, I love you, and if it's what you really want, Arthur will leave. But I… He is my friend, and I can't help but be worried about him, all right. I really think it's the best for him to stay with us, and though I have no idea why you don't like him, I can swear you have nothing to be worried about.

Will shrugged, and finally slumped his shoulders with a sigh.

\- Fine. But I'm warning you, he's not staying for long !

Will glared at him, but Merlin didn't care much. He had what he wanted. Smiling, he leaned in and briefly kissed him, before lying down again.

* * *

Hours later, the sun slowly woke Merlin up. He then realized he must have fallen asleep at some time, even though not for long. He was exhausted. He willed himself to get up and reached the kitchen, only to realize his mistake when he saw Arthur, who already stood there, widen his eyes and turn his head quickly. Merlin mentally slapped himself, and ran to his room to put an actual trouser and a shirt on. Then he went back to the kitchen.

\- Where's Will? He asked, somehow glad his boyfriend didn't see him showing himself in front of Arthur in nothing but pants.

\- Uh… In the shower I guess, he was already in it when I got up.

Merlin nodded and poured some coffee in a cup.

\- You shouldn't drink that, Arthur warned him.

\- What? Why?

\- Well, I guess I'm not very skilled when it comes to make coffee. Though I am very skilled in everything else.

\- Yeah, you wish. Anyway, it can't be that bad.

Merlin sipped and spat immediately in the sink.

\- God, Arthur, what did you put in that?!

\- Hey, I warned you! Arthur reminded him with a smirk.

\- Yeah, well, you're never making coffee again!

Arthur shrugged and sat on a stool, still looking up at Merlin, who bit his lip before sitting down next to him.

\- Anyway, how are you?

\- Good, Arthur said almost coldly.

\- Arthur… I know you like to call me an idiot, but I'm not actually that stupid.

\- Fine, Arthur sighed. I'm as good as I can be, there, you're happy?

\- No I'm not.

Arthur shrugged, and Merlin sighed.

\- Do you want me to come with you?

\- What? Where?

\- To your house. The cops said they would come to see if they could find anything.

Arthur's eyes widened for a brief second before his features cooled down.

\- I'm not going. They'll call if they need anything, but I… I don't want to go unless it's absolutely necessary. Does that make me a coward?

As a business man, Arthur never allowed himself to show weakness, and Merlin knew it better than anyone. So to see him like that, so unsure, scared, made his heart flinch, and he resisted the urge to pull him into an embrace to soothe him. Before he could answer anything, the bathroom's door opened and Will joined them in no time. He kissed Merlin and glared at Arthur, who bit his lip before getting up and handing his hand.

\- Hi, I'm Arth…

\- Yeah, I know who you are, Will said without taking his hand.

\- Uh… Right. Well I guess I should go.

Arthur flew the room before anyone could add anything, and Merlin glared at Will.

\- I've been as polite as I could, Merlin.

\- Fuck it, Will, you said he could stay!

\- Yeah, I never said I would be nice to him.

Merlin wanted to snap back but was outdistanced by Arthur.

\- Look, I don't want to be a problem, if you don't want me stay, I'm leaving, he said to Will.

Will was really tempted to say yes, that he was a problem and would better be out of their lives, but one look to Merlin was enough to know that he would never forgive him if he said so.

\- No, you can stay. I'm always grumpy when I get up, it wasn't against you.

Will passed the blond-haired man and Arthur stared at Merlin, waiting for him to say something.

\- You're not a problem, Arthur, I told you that already.

\- I know, but I…

\- No buts. Though I fully expect you to drive me to work and back home every day now that you live here.

\- Excuse me? Arthur raised an eyebrow.

\- It's useless to use two cars, right? And I don't like driving, so you're doing it.

\- Last time I checked, I was the boss, Merlin, you can't order me around.

\- Really? Watch me.

Merlin smirked, and he was even smugger once they were sitting in the car, Arthur behind the wheel, glaring at him.

Arthur was trying to act as nothing happened, and Merlin knew better than to push him to talk about it, so he played along. When they reached the office, Arthur didn't get out of the car.

\- Oi, you prat, you can get up now!

\- Cancel my meeting for the next two hours, I… I'll come to work then.

\- Where are you going?

Arthur sighed, obviously having hoped Merlin wouldn't ask.

\- I told you last night, I…Need new clothes. And other stuffs.

Right. Merlin had completely forgotten, but it was all coming back to him now. Arthur had indeed told him he would rather buy everything again than getting them in his house. He nodded and entered the building, heading to his desk to cancel Arthur's meetings.

* * *

He had barely had time to sit down before Gwaine showed up, grinning at him.

\- Hey! How are you doing?

\- Great, thanks, Merlin grinned back.

\- I know what you did last night, Gwaine said with a smug smile and Merlin frowned.

\- What are you talking about?

\- I saw you sweet-dancing with the princess.

\- So I guess the girl got bored of you, 'cause there is no way you could have seen anything if you still were with her, Merlin laughed.

\- You'll know that I have many skills, my dear Merlin. And you're wrong, I totally got laid.

\- Great for you, please don't add any details.

\- Aaaand, I saw you get out of Arthur's car two minutes ago. What am I to deduce, hm?

Merlin rolled his eyes. Obviously Gwaine would think his stupid trick had worked and that he had slept with Arthur.

\- Deduce whatever you want, Gwaine, but that's not what you think.

\- No?

\- No.

\- Then what is it? You tell me!

\- I was in Arthur's car because it's easier now that he lives with me, Merlin said before he realized how it sounded.

Gwaine looked at him wide-eyed and shocked.

\- _What_? You're living together? Well, I've never seen a relationship go so far in one night! I would give anything to see Will's face !

\- Wait, no! He… His house has been robbed and the cops said he couldn't stay at his home anymore, so he's living with Will and me, that's all. And don't you dare say anything to anyone, or I'm sure he'll kill us both.

\- Wait… You're living with Will _AND_ Arthur? Have you lost your mind?

Gwaine stood up from where he was sitting on the desk, and Merlin rolled his eyes.

\- I'm not. You only say so because you made up your mind about Arthur and me, Merlin snapped.

\- Oh, really? Well at least I'm not the one who kissed his boss before telling him to come and live with me and my boyfriend! And yes, I know that the kiss didn't mean anything and that you and Arthur agreed on that, but tell me one thing, Merlin. Since it doesn't mean anything, have you told Will?

Merlin gasped and glared at him harder than he ever glared at anyone.

\- You didn't, right? And I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want him to know that the man who's living under his roof knows what his boyfriend tastes like.

\- Are you threatening me? Merlin asked, dumbfounded.

\- Of course not, I'm only trying to show you that what you're doing is dangerous! It's not going to end well, and you know it.

\- And what do you want me to do? Tell Arthur to sleep elsewhere, let him down?

\- No. But… Be careful, Merlin. I know too well what love triangles are.

\- For God's sake, Gwaine, there is no love triangle! There is Will and I, and Arthur is only a friend.

\- Fine. But don't dare saying I didn't warn you the day you'll give in and make passionate love with Arthur while Will is working.

Merlin rolled his eyes and Gwaine left for his own desk. He had just enough time to cancel the meetings before Morgana stopped in front of him. Merlin looked up at her.

\- Morgana? What can I do for you?

\- Oh, I don't know, Merlin. Maybe tell me why the cops called me to, I quote, inform me that my brother's house had been vandalized and that I should make sure he was fine.

\- Wait, what did the cops even call you?

\- Because I have many friends, the police captain just happens to be one of them, she snapped.

\- Right. Why are you mad at me? It's hardly my fault if Arthur's house has been vandalized.

\- Maybe not, but I know my brother. Even though we can't stand each other, I know I'm the first person who would have crossed his mind when it comes to sleeping out of his home. But he didn't knock at my door.

\- Well, Merlin started before Morgana cut in.

\- The only reason I can think of is that he was already being taken care of by someone he trusts. I guess that would be you. Am I right?

\- Uh… Yes. I told Arthur he could stay with me.

\- Good. You're good for him. But, Morgana said as she leaned threateningly closer to him, if anything like that happens again and I don't get a phone call, be sure you'll be sorry.

Merlin gulped as Morgana leaned back. Then, she smiled.

\- Well, have a nice day.

As she walked away, Merlin wondered how she could be so scary.

* * *

The rest of the morning went fast, and when Merlin started to be hungry, he realized Arthur still hadn't come back. He was about to call him when someone called his name. He turned his head to see Cenred and Valiant coming towards him, and frowned. None of them ever tried to talk to him, and Merlin was pretty sure that they hated him as much as he did them. They were always mean to everyone, and he even saw Cenred hit the courier because he wasn't fast enough.

He gathered his strength and looked up at them.

\- Hi, what can I do for you?

Cenred sat up on the desk while Valiant stood in front of Merlin.

\- Tell us, Merlin, how did you do it?

\- Do what?

\- How did you get into the boss' pants? Cendred hissed, grabbing his face.

Merlin batted his hand away and glared at them.

\- I didn't. Nothing's going on between Arthur and me.

\- Oh, come on, don't be like that! We're not stupid, you know. Pendragon liked you from the very first day, and that's not like him. Just tell us what you did to make him care so much? I mean, I've worked here for years and I've never seen him take anyone to lunch.

\- Or drive anyone to work, Valiant added with a smirk.

\- My car broke, Merlin lied, he was just helping. Now please, I have work to do.

Merlin hoped they would leave, but Cenred swung his legs instead, so that they were almost touching Merlin's.

\- Ten years. I've worked here for ten years, you know.

\- Good for you, Merlin said coldly.

\- I was there even before Arthur took the lead. I was there when Uther was ruling.

\- It's a company, not a kingdom, Merlin muttered.

\- Ten years, and that little bastard didn't even give me as much as an augmentation. He didn't give Valiant anything either, to be fair. So, really Merlin, tell us what you did to him.

\- Come on, Cen, that's obvious, he must have spread his legs for the boss!

\- Nah, I don't think so. Arthur slept with so many people, and still he didn't like any of them. Must be something else.

Merlin sighed. He really wanted them to leave, though he knew they wouldn't.

\- No, Cenred added, I think I get it.

He laughed, and Valiant did too, which made Merlin bite his lips so he wouldn't tell them how pathetic he was for laughing without even knowing what Cenred thought.

\- I think I'm going to get my augmentation, after all. And a promotion. And everything I want.

Merlin rolled his eyes, annoyed.

\- How? Valiant asked.

\- Thanks to that one, Cenred smirked, lifting his chin to Merlin. See, I'm pretty sure Pendragon would give me anything so I don't hurt him.

\- Oh, Valiant aid in understanding. You want to blackmail the boss.

\- I'd rather call it a deal.

Merlin snorted and regretted it as soon as their eyes snapped back to him.

\- Here's nothing funny in what I said.

\- There is if you think you can force Arthur to give you anything. Now, excuse me, I need to make photocopies.

Merlin got up but Valiant blocked his way and Cenred grabbed his arm and pulled him in Arthur's office, making sure no one was watching.

\- Hey, what are you doing!

Merlin tried to fight back, but Cenred had much more strength than him, and he ended up pushed against a wall.

\- Let me go!

\- Oh I will. Once you give me what I want.

\- Screw you, Merlin spat.

\- Well, if you take it that way.

Cenred reached his pocket and Merlin felt a knife on his throat.

\- Now, we don't want this to end in blood, do we?

\- What the fuck do you want?

\- See, we're going to wait for you little lover to come back, and when he does, it will be either he gives me what I want, or he can hold your dead body.

Merlin didn't answer, but the reminder of Arthur's absence worried him. He hoped he was fine. But at the same time, Merlin hoped he wouldn't come back. Maybe he would meet Morgana outside, or be so busy he wouldn't see time pass. Then he remembered Arthur was supposed to drive him back home, and knew he was screwed. All he could do was praying that Arthur would know what to do.

He didn't have to wait very long to find out, though. About fifteen minutes after Cenred shoved him into the room, Valiant said Arthur was there. Cenred moved to the middle of the room, dragging Merlin with him, and Merlin held his breath when the door started to open. Arthur entered slowly, and froze at the sight. Valiant shut the door closed, but Arthur barely noticed.

\- What the fuck do you think you're doing?

Cenred pressed he knife harder on Merlin's throat, and Arthur gasped.

\- Here what's going to happen, Arthur. You do what I ask, and I let your dear Merlin here go. You say no, and he's dead. Is that clear?

\- What do you want? Arthur snapped, obviously raging.

\- I only wanted an augmentation, maybe a promotion as well, but now I think of something better. I want you to give me the company. I want to be the head of Pendragon's Enterprise.

Arthur narrowed his eyes, and Merlin tried to tell him not to do anything, but only got the blade pressing harder.

\- You're mad if you think I'm giving you my company, Arthur said coldly.

\- Oh really? I'm a bit disappointed, I hoped that one meant a bit more than that to you, Cnered said with fake sadness. Well then, I guess you won't mind if I do that.

Before Merlin could record what was happening, his pants were pulled down and Cenred's hands were groping him. Merlin tried to push him away, but the knife cut his skin, drawing blood, and Valiant grabbed his hands, keeping him from moving.

Arthur had jumped forward too, but stopped in horror when he saw blood dripping down Merlin's neck.

\- What the fuck, stop!

\- Give me the company, Arthur, or be sure I'll take all the pleasure I can get from that body before killing him so slowly he'll beg for it. Do you want to witness that?

Merlin tried to tell him not to do it again, but there was nothing he could do with Valiant's hands holding his wrists and pressing against his mouth.

\- Fine, Arthur said, shuddering slightly. Take whatever you want, but let him go.

Cenred laughed.

\- See, I knew we could get along. Write it down and I free him.

Arthur felt like throwing up, but did as he was told, and handed the paper to Cenred, who smile cruelly before shoving Merlin into Arthur's arms, knowing the blond would be too busy making sure his friend would be alright to go after them.

Arthur caught Merlin as he could and they both fell on the floor.

\- Merlin! Are you alright?

Arthur tried to stay calm, and pulled Merlin's trousers up before checking on his neck.

\- I'm fine, Arthur. You shouldn't have…

\- Don't even think of saying that, Arthur hissed.

\- But you lost your company because of me.

\- I didn't.

Merlin looked up at him, frowning.

\- What?

\- When I saw you were not at your desk, I asked Gwaine where you were. He didn't know, so I told him to follow me in case you were in trouble. Guess I was right. As I know him, he must have knocked the both of them out and ripped the paper in half.

Merlin nodded and buried his face in Arthur's neck.

\- Thank you.

\- Don't be silly, Merlin. I would rather lose my company than lose you, and I would gladly have done so if I didn't have a way out.

Arthur stroke Merlin's back, resisting the urge to kiss his worry away.

\- Come on now, you're bleeding, you need a dressing.

\- Where were you?

\- What?

\- Before they came, I was going to call you. You said you'd be there in two hours and you weren't. God, Arthur, I thought…

\- I'm sorry. I've been underestimating the time I'd need to buy what I needed; I didn't mean to worry you.

* * *

When they left Arthur's office, Morgana was already yelling at everyone for letting someone get assaulted in the workplace, where they should all be safe, and Arthur insisted to take Merlin home. Merlin tried to say he was fine and perfectly able to work, but Arthur would have none of it and told Gwen to cancel everything he had this afternoon. He drove back at Merlin's, and dropped his bags in the room he slept in before checking Merlin's wound again.

\- Stop it, I'm fine, Merlin mumbled.

\- I'm sorry, Merlin. You were hurt because of me, and if you want to resign I…

\- For God's sake Arthur, stop! It was not your fault, and I'm not quitting. It's not like they were going to come back anytime soon.

Arthur had made sure someone had called the police before even thinking of leaving the building.

\- Do you think it could be them? Merlin asked.

\- What?

\- Your house. The…letters. Do you think it could be them?

\- I hope it could be, Arthur sighed, it would be easier, but I don't think so. Valiant's following Cenred anyway, and Cenred is not patient enough to play it that way. He's -much more direct, you've got proof of that on your neck.

Merlin sighed and almost placed his head on Arthur's shoulder before realizing it and leaning back on the couch.

He couldn't help but think about everything people had said to him this morning. Gwaine, who had clearly said he thought Merlin and Arthur loved each other and that he would end up cheating on Will, Morgana who had affirmed he was good for her brother, and Cenred who had been sure they were lovers. Sure, the last one was a madman, but he still had said the same thing as the others. Everyone seemed to think there was more than friendship between them, and Merlin feared that it was true. He was not stupid, and as much as he wanted to deny it, he had kissed Arthur because he was attracted to him. He could handle attraction, he knew he could, but he couldn't afford to let it go further. He knew he could never let Arthur down though, and that even if he was to lose his balance, he would not ask him to leave until his stalker was arrested.

He thought of Will, and then back of what Gwaine had said, and realized he would have to be way more careful with the way he acted if he didn't want to ruin everything, starting by his relationship with Will.

He needed to keep his distance with Arthur, for everyone's sake.


	4. Chapter 4

Hi! I just wanted to thank WolfWarrior16 for the review (I tried to answer the the site said you blocked PM so I couldn't haha), and feel free to send me a PM to tell me who you think the stalker is, cause now I'm really really curious to know what you think! And thank you also for reminding me dashes were the french way to write dialogues, and that the English one is quotation marks, I'm so used to write in french I forgot! About updating more frequently, that's gonna be hard because I have a lot of work in uni haha, but I'm aiming for a chapter a week!

Anyway I hope you and everyone else will like this new chapter!

* * *

Chapter 4

As Merlin was trying to figure out how to keep his distance with Arthur without being obvious, since the last thing he wanted was to have to explain his feelings, Arthur's phone ringed, startling him.

"Hello?"

Merlin looked up when he saw Arthur's features straightening, and for a second feared it could be the stalker. But his fear soothed down when Arthur gave whoever he was talking to Merlin's address. Unless his friend had gone suicidal, there was no way it was anyone potentially dangerous.

As soon as Arthur hanged up, Merlin asked what was going on.

"It was the police", Arthur said. "They want to talk to me about… Well, you know. So I told them to come here, that's okay, right? I mean, I assumed you wouldn't mind, but if you do I can…."

"God, Arthur, of course I don't mind!"

Merlin rolled his eyes, but secretly thought Arthur being so worried about disturbing him was cute. This was a thought he needed to exterminate. He couldn't afford the luxury of connecting Arthur to any idea of cuteness.

"When will they be here?" Merlin asked, trying to get something else than Arthur, Will and Gwaine's words on his mind.

"Uh, I'm not sure, but I guess any minute. The time to get here from wherever they are"

Merlin nodded and winced. His neck did actually hurt, no matter what he had told Arthur. But of course his friend would notice, and he gently grabbed his neck to check the wound once more.

"Are you all right? Maybe I should have taken you to the hospital." Arthur worried.

"No, I'm fine" Merlin assured. "It stinks a bit, but I'm fine. No need to go to the hospital, really."

Arthur didn't seem convinced but nodded anyway, and got up to bring Merlin a glass of water.

"Did you find everything you were looking for?" Merlin asked, and Arthur frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"This morning. Did you buy everything you needed?"

"Oh", Arthur said as understanding lightened his face. "Yeah, mostly. Everything I _really_ needed at least."

Merlin nodded, and drank a bit of water, just as someone was knocking on the door.

"Must be the cops", Arthur stated. "I'm going to open the door".

He did, and was indeed facing two policemen. He moved on the side to allow them to enter, and Merlin got up.

" Hi, I mean, hello."

Arthur chuckled. Merlin was obviously not used to be around authorities or important people. Which was actually a bit surprising, since Will was a lawyer. Arthur had thought Merlin should be used to be around intellectuals, at least other lawyers, mostly because if he had the chance of being with Merlin himself, he would make sure to drag him everywhere just to show people how lucky he was. But then, Will was probably not thinking the way he did.

Pulling himself together, he looked at the two men.

" Alright, what can I do for you?"

They both looked suspiciously at Merlin, who took the hint and babbled something about needing to clean the shower before leaving the room.

" Mister Pendragon", one of the cops started, "We need to know if you have any enemies."

"Look, I probably have a lot. I'm a rich business man who's competing to be Business man of the year. So yes, I guess I do not only have friends."

"Anyone in particular?"

"No, I already told you that when I called about the letters. Did you find anything in my home?"

"We didn't. Only your fingerprints were in the house, whoever did that is very meticulous. Since the crime scene is pretty violent, we think it probably is a man."

Arthur winced at the mention of crime scene. He didn't want to think of his home as such a place.

"Look, Sir, we know it's hard, but we need you to think. Who could get anything from doing such a thing?"

"I don't know", Arthur repeated for what felt like the hundredth time.

"What about your boyfriend?"

Arthur looked up, frowning.

"What boyfriend? I don't have one."

"Oh, sorry. I thought…" The man lifted his chin toward where Merlin had disappeared, and Arthur's eyes widened.

"Merlin? No, he's… We're friend."

"But you're staying here for now, is that right?" The other man insisted.

"Yes".

"Then how do you know he didn't do it?"

" _Merlin_?" Arthur almost shouted, not believing anyone could even hint Merlin could do anything like that.

"Well, maybe he likes you and did it so you would come and live with him. We need to think of every possibility."

"I get that, but Merlin is not a possibility. And not because I'm too blind to considerate it, thank you very much, but because he spent the night with me in a club. And I drove home immediately after leaving him, so unless he can teleport himself, there's no way he did that." Arthur snapped in what he hoped was a very confident voice.

Not that he wasn't confident, because he was. There was no way Merlin did it, ever. But he couldn't help but be scared that they wouldn't believe him. The last thing he wanted was to bring investigations on Merlin.

" Alright. We'll need the name of that club, of course."

Arthur nodded and gave them the address.

"Well then, anyone else? Maybe a jealous ex, or a colleague ?"

"I… don't really have exes. I never really settled down."

Arthur wasn't especially proud of his love life, or rather the lack of. But he had to tell the truth, and that was that he only did one night stands. He never wanted to settle down, buy a dog and have children. But then, that was probably because he never met the right person. Now, he could totally picture himself buying a dog with Merlin, and growing up with him. Not that he would admit it to anyone, even himself, and especially not Merlin or the policemen.

"Then how about someone who didn't take rejection well?" The policeman hinted.

"They don't know where I live. Even the media doesn't".

"That's a start. Who does know where you live?"

Arthur sighed, feeling like this was going to take a while, and started to draw a list.

* * *

About two hours later, he finally shut the door closed after the two men left Merlin's house. Seconds later, Merlin's head was poking through the door.

" So, how did it go?" He enquired.

"Fine. They mostly wanted me to help them make a list of suspects".

"Did you? I mean, that would be a good start".

"Of course I did, but I still can't picture anyone I know do something like that.", Arthur sighed.

Merlin patted his shoulder and sighed. "I'm sure they're going to find out".

"Yeah", Arthur said, even though he doubted it very much.

He had this strange feeling that things were not going to be improving. Merlin bit his lip and tried to cheer him up.

"So, do you want to watch a movie or something?"

Arthur shrugged, but appreciated the gesture.

"Sure, whatever you want".

Merlin picked a movie, Arthur didn't even catch which one, and they settled back on the couch. Arthur was trying to pay attention, he really was, but was failing miserably. All he could think of was Merlin, and how easy it would be to just drag him a bit closer and cuddle with him, and how he would treat him better than Will did. But he knew this train of thoughts would not lead anywhere, and that he needed to fight against his own will. It would be easier if he didn't spend all his time with Merlin, of course, but he couldn't leave the house without explain why, and he knew Merlin wouldn't let him leave if he didn't tell the truth. And well, admitting Merlin he was the only one he ever loved wouldn't be the best way to protect their friendship.

At the same time, Merlin was also struggling with his own mind. He knew he shouldn't have asked Arthur to watch a movie with him, especially since the couch was way too small, but he didn't have the heart to leave his friend alone. Maybe he didn't need to push Arthur away. Maybe pulling Will closer could be enough. He was probably feeling that way about Arthur because he felt like Will was sometimes letting him down. If he could fix their relationship and make it successful again, his attraction towards his boss would disappear. At least, Merlin felt like he needed to hold on to this idea.

They were both so deeply lost in their own thoughts that they didn't realize Merlin's head had come to rest on Arthur's shoulder. Neither did they hear the door slowly open and close again. Not until Will stood above them, and started to yell.

"What the hell are you doing?"

They both jumped, and Merlin moved his head away from Arthur in a heartbeat.

"Will!" He exclaimed. "We were just watching a movie" he added quietly.

"Watching a movie? Or cuddling on our couch?" Will snapped, obviously mad.

"No, I…"

Merlin was obviously struggling to explain to Will they were not doing anything, and Arthur couldn't help but get mad at the lawyer.

"We were not cuddling", he cut in sharply. "In case you didn't notice, which you obviously didn't, your boyfriend is hurt, and he only needed a bit of comfort after being assaulted. That's not my fault if you were not there."

Arthur could see Will's jaw tightening and his eyes finally settling on Merlin's wound on his neck. A second after, Will was grabbing his face and trying to know what happened, and Arthur almost slapped himself for telling Will. Maybe he should have waited to see how long it would have taken him to notice his boyfriend was hurt.

"God, Merlin, what happened?"

"Not much", Merlin lied, and Arthur frowned. Why would he lie? "I just got in the middle of a fight at work, and got slightly hurt, but Arthur insisted on taking me home, that's all."

"A fight? What fight?" Then, turning to Arthur, "Can't you watch what your employees do?"

"Stop it, it's not his fault, he wasn't even there." Merlin argued.

Will still glared at Arthur, who didn't even look back at him, keeping his eyes on Merlin instead. He really didn't understand why Merlin didn't tell Will what really happened. Maybe he didn't want his boyfriend to be mad at Arthur, since it was actually to get something from him that Merlin had been hurt, but Will already loathed him for whatever reason, so that would be a stupid reason for hiding things from the man he was supposed to love.

But then, it wasn't really Arthur's place to judge their relationship. Merlin was enough of a grown up man to step away from Will if he wanted to. Still, he couldn't help but feel a little bit victorious for having a more honest relationship with him than Will did. Which was childish, and he knew it, but he was happy nonetheless.

* * *

A bit later, Will decided to take Merlin out for dinner, just the two of them. Arthur found himself alone in the house, and bored. He didn't have anything to do, and he didn't even dare looking for something interesting since it wasn't his home.

But, Arthur being Arthur, he ended up looking into the house anyway. He didn't even know what he was looking for, he just wanted to do something and not be bored anymore.

He basically settled for looking into the room Merlin gave him, because it made him feel less guilty, but he ended up getting bored again anyway. He then went back into the living room, and saw a half-opened drawer. He went to close it, but his eyes found a piece of paper, and curiosity took over him, so he grabbed it. As soon as he opened it, his eyes went incredibly wide, and he put it back quickly, as though someone could get in and catch him sneaking.

He fell on a chair, and tried to figure out what to do. He probably should tell Merlin what he found, but he didn't want his friend to be mad at him. People were always mad with the messenger. He could also make sure Merlin would find the paper on his own, but there was every chance Will would know what he did. In the end, all he could think of not to get in more trouble was not to do anything. After all, the paper wasn't even very well hidden, so maybe Merlin would find it without any help.

Or maybe he should talk to Will. Maybe there was an actual explanation. Because as much as Arthur disliked Will, he didn't want Merlin to get hurt. Yes, he would talk to Will.

When Arthur heard Merlin and Will come back, he had just gotten into bed. He could hear Merlin laugh, and he sighed. He hoped he would be lucky enough to fall asleep before he could hear them do anything else than laughing or kissing, especially because of how thin Merlin's walls were.

"Will, stop", he heard Merlin say, and it picked up his interest.

"Why? I want you" Will whispered, and Arthur felt like throwing up.

"Arthur's next door".

"He's probably sleeping"

"What if he's not? I don't want to make him uncomfortable".

Right, they probably never realized how not soundproofed their house was, Arthur thought as they started to talk about him.

"Look Merlin, I'm not going to be okay with you putting Arthur first every time", Will snapped, obviously upset.

"I'm not", Merlin protested, "I'm just trying to be a good friend."

"How about being a good boyfriend then?"

"Stop it, you're being unfair and you know it!"

"Oh, am I?"

"Yes!" Merlin shouted, and Arthur sighed. "If someone's not a good boyfriend, that's not me!"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It's supposed to mean that you're being insufferable as soon as Arthur's name is brought in the conversation! I don't know why you loathe him so much, but you have no right to be suspicious of me! I told you a thousand times that nothing was going on between us!"

"I do trust you Merlin, but I don't trust him!"

"He never did anything to you, for God's sake!"

"Do you even know how many of his PAs he shagged?" Will yelled, and Arthur froze. He had never meant for Merlin to know that.

"What are you even talking about?"

"Every single one, Merlin! Your dear Pendragon fucked every PA he ever had, and he fired them right after. Now the good news is that you still have a job, but all his nice gestures you think are proofs of his friendship are actually nothing but him trying to get you to spread your legs! I can't believe you can't see that!"

Arthur couldn't hear Merlin say anything, and his heart began to pound relentlessly. Of course Will was wrong, and he had never fired his previous PAs because he had gotten what he wanted, he fired them because they were awful PAs. But Merlin would never believe that, and he knew it. The worst part was that Arthur wasn't being nice because he wanted to shag Merlin, but really because he thought of him as a friend, and even more, for the first time of his life. But if Will put these ideas into Merlin's head, then Arthur was screwed.

The fact that Merlin was not answering was freaking him out, he had no clues what his friend was thinking.

Finally, Arthur fell asleep without hearing anything from Merlin.

* * *

When he woke up the next morning, Merlin and Will were both already in the kitchen, and the atmosphere was frozen.

"Um, hi" he barely greeted them.

"Hello, Arthur", Merlin smiled. "I made coffee, you want some?"

Startled by Merlin's friendly behavior, it took him a few moments to pull himself together and smile back.

"Sure, thanks".

Well, at least Merlin didn't seem to hate him. Will, on the other hand, didn't do anything but glare at him like he hoped it would somehow set him on fire or something.

As soon as Merlin disappeared into the bathroom, Will got up and made sign to Arthur to follow him outside. The blond did, not having much of a choice, and decided to talk first.

"Look, Will, I heard what you said last night, and I can assure you I'm not trying to get Merlin into my bed. I really see him as a friend, and I…"

"I know", Will cut in, and Arthur's jaw hanged.

"You know? But you told Merlin…"

"Of course I told him that you only wanted to fuck him! I'm far from being stupid", Will spat, leaving Arthur dumbfounded. "I can see how you look at him, even though he's completely oblivious. I know you don't want to shag him, you love him, don't you?"

Arthur was appalled, having expected anything but that.

"Well… Yes" he admitted, not seeing the point in lying. "But I didn't and I won't act on it. Merlin's old enough to know what he wants."

"Let me be very clear, Pendragon. The only reason you're still sleeping in my house is because Merlin wants to believe you're a good man, and he'll be mad for weeks if I throw you out. But say one word, do anything and I swear I'll cut your balls. Merlin's not yours."

Arthur never liked threats, and even less when he just said he would not act on his feelings. Anger rising, he decided to fight back.

"Well, you're very possessive for a man who cheats on him", he snapped.

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"You left a drawer open. How do you think Merlin will react if he learns you ordered a whole box of condoms, among other stuffs. I mean, I could get it if it was just lube and sex toys, but condoms? I doubt you plan on using any of it with Merlin, are you?"

Arthur couldn't be totally sure of what he was saying, but Merlin did tell him they had been together for a bit more than two years, and, well, Arthur guessed most people stopped using condoms by that time.

"You don't anything about that! And you'd better not tell Merlin anything." Will said threateningly.

"So you are cheating on him" Arthur spat.

"I'm not", Will shouted.

"Then what are all these things for? And really putting it in a drawer is not the best way to hide it."

"That drawer is full of stuffs of mine, Merlin never looks there. And what I plan to do with it is none of your business!"

"Fine. So I'll keep on thinking you're a fucking cheater who dares being possessive over the man you betray."

Will glared at him, and Arthur glared harder. He couldn't believe Will was too blind to see how lucky he was to have Merlin. Of course, maybe he was saying the truth and wasn't cheating, but then why would he keep his plans a secret? Anyway, Arthur was hating him for hurting Merlin, and so he did something stupid.

"Just so you know, you really are an idiot to betray someone who's such an amazing kisser".

"What the fuck did you say?" Will yelled, and pushed him against the wall.

"You heard me", Arthur snapped.

"You're lying", Will affirmed. "You just want to get me mad. I'm sure Merlin never kissed you."

"Think whatever you want, I don't care", Arthur slowly said, emphasizing each word.

He pushed Will aside and got back into the house, just as Merlin was getting out of the bathroom. Will came back too, his jaw tightened, and trying his best not to get Merlin suspicious.

* * *

After Arthur got dressed too, he went on his way to his car, where Merlin was already waiting for him, having insisted to go back to work. As he was heading to the door, Will grabbed his arm.

"The war's declared, Pendragon", he hissed.

"Hell yes it is", Arthur confirmed before joining Merlin, smiling.

"So, how was your night?" He asked once in the car, pretending he didn't hear anything from Merlin and Will's argument.

"Good. Until we got home and Will got mad", Merlin admitted.

"Why? What happened?"

"Not much, he's just… I don't know. Look it's nothing, all right?"

Arthur nodded and didn't push further, already glad Merlin didn't believe a word of what Will had said about him.

When Arthur entered his office, the first thing he noticed was a paper put on display on his desk. Shaking slightly, he grabbed it, and fell down on his chair, realizing it was another gift from his stalker. Not a letter though, but several pictures of him. In the mall, in the street, and worse of all, in front of Merlin's door. That bastard knew about Merlin. The words "You can't escape me" were written at the bottom of the page.

Now really shaking, Arthur asked Merlin to come into his office. As soon as he was there, he handed him the paper.

"I can't stay in your house anymore", he stated.

"That's not true", Merlin shook his head.

"Merlin, it's way too dangerous. Whoever it is, they know where you live."

"Yes, which means they could have already come and hurt me, or you. They didn't. Look, I think they only want to scare you, for whatever reason. If you leave the house, they'll know they won. They'll know you're scared. You need to show them that you're not, and that they won't break you".

"But what if they do hurt you? Merlin, I won't take that chance", Arthur said firmly.

"They won't hurt me."

"How can be so sure?"

"Because I know you'll protect me. You already have. As long as you're with me, I know I'm safe. Besides, you leaving won't make them forget where I live. It might even be more dangerous to leave me on my own."

"You wouldn't be on your own, what about Will?"

"Will is working most of the time".

Merlin looked at him expectantly, and with so much trust in his eyes Arthur could feel his heart melt. Merlin really believed he would be able to keep him safe. And right then, Arthur knew he would. He would do anything to protect Merlin, and to make him proud. He nodded, silently agreeing to stay at Merlin's, and the smile he was rewarded with was worth it all.

Lost in Merlin's smile and eyes, he jumped on his chair when Gwaine opened the door.

"Guys, Morgana's offering a drink to everyone, God knows why, but I'm not complaining. You're coming?"

Merlin answered before Arthur could.

"Of course we are!"He exclaimed, running to the door.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

As they were on their way to the pub where Morgana had taken everyone, Arthur grabbed Merlin's arm, pulling him closer so he could whisper.

"Can I ask you something?" He asked.

"Sure", Merlin smiled, "what is it?"

"Why did you lie to Will?"

"What do you mean?" Merlin asked, frowning.

"Well… When he asked what happened to your neck, you didn't exactly…" Arthur moved his hand in the air to explain what he meant without actually having to say it out loud.

"I didn't see the point in freaking him out. I'm fine."

Merlin shrugged and fastened his pace to join Gwaine. He knew he wasn't being very fair to Arthur by answering him quite coldly, but he didn't feel like he had a choice. He knew what would have happened hadn't Gwaine burst in Arthur's office. They had been in the exact same spirits they were when they had kissed, and Merlin couldn't let that happen again.

* * *

When they reached the pub, drinks had already been served, and Arthur was grabbed by his sister, who pushed him in front of everyone with her. She clasped her hands, drawing all the attention on her, and smiled.

"Alright, guys. We're all here because we have something to celebrate. Thanks to Arthur, and mostly thanks to me, Annis agreed to partnership. Caerleon will bring us a whole new level of prosperity, and forget what I just said, that's thanks to all of you!"

People clapped, and as soon as they went back to their drinks even though it was not even ten in the morning, Arthur grabbed Morgana's arm.

"Why on earth didn't you tell me Annis agreed?"

"Well, I would have told you, dear brother, but you were too busy staring at Merlin with little hearts in your eyes to even notice me", she smirked wickedly.

"I'm not looking at him with… Ugh, never mind", Arthur glared at her, but knew better than to enter her game.

"So, tell me, when are you finally going to tell him?"

"Stop it, Morgana". Arthur meant to be firm, but he very much doubted his sister would ever listen to him.

"Look", she said in a much more serious and gentle tone, the one that actually scared Arthur more than her glares and wicked smiles, "This whole situation is soon going to be unbearable. You can't live with the man you love –and don't you dare deny it –and his _boyfriend_. That's not healthy, Arthur. And, well, Merlin might be oblivious, but what are you going to do when his boyfriend will notice?"

"He already did", Arthur sighed before cursing himself. He didn't want to talk about Merlin, or Will. Though Morgana's incredibly wide eyes were almost worth it.

"Dear God what did he say?"

"He told Merlin I've shagged all my PAs and that I only want to fuck him, and told me he would cut my balls if I do anything, or something in those lines", Arthur answered casually, hoping Morgana would drop it.

"Gods, Arthur, you really are useless. Wait, he didn't kick you out of his house?" She asked, squinting her eyes.

"No", Arthur shrugged.

Morgana walked passed him to grab a drink, before coming back.

"I still don't understand why you thought living with Merlin was a good idea. Or why you didn't even call me to tell me your house had been robbed".

"Look, Morgs, I'm sorry, I wasn't exactly in my right mind. And Merlin wouldn't understand if I suddenly decide to leave".

He briefly thought of telling her the truth about his stalker, but decided not to. It probably wasn't a good idea to let more people than strictly necessary know, and there was no way Morgana wouldn't try to discover the truth by herself –which would be a terrible idea.

* * *

A few meters away, Merlin was talking with Gwen, who finally told him she was dating Lance. Merlin was surprised, but mostly because they didn't tell him anything sooner.

"You're like family to him", Gwen explained, smiling. "He didn't want to introduce you to anyone if he wasn't sure it was serious. But please don't tell him I told you, he meant to do it this weekend since you're supposed to go out with him. It just slipped out of my mouth and he's going to kill me if he knows I ruined it."

Merlin chuckled, and patted her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Gwen, I'll pretend to be surprised. Though I'm really happy for you"

He smiled, and she was about to add something when his phone ringed. He excused himself and picked up when he saw Will's name on the screen.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Merlin, am I disturbing you?" Will sounded tensed, and Merlin couldn't help but get worried. He couldn't hear very well with the noise, so he left the pub and leaned against the wall.

"No, of course not. Morgana's buying a drink to everyone because we won a new partner, so I've got plenty of time."

"Good. Look, I just have something to ask, and I really want you to tell me the truth, okay?"

Now Merlin was really worried. It didn't sound good at all. He let out a hesitating "yes", waiting for the bomb he knew was coming.

"Did you know Arthur before we got together?"

Merlin slowly blinked, frowning. He had expected everything but that. He didn't even understand why Will would ask such a thing when he perfectly knew the answer.

"Of course not, you know that. I met him in the coffee shop the day I got the job, I told you that already, why on earth would I have lied to you?"

"Yeah, sure, no reason. Just.. Forget it, alright?"

Merlin would be doomed if he ever let Will go away with that.

"No, I'm not forgetting it. Will, why did you ask?"

"It's just… Something Arthur said. I thought he was lying, and he obviously was, but I just wanted to be sure".

Will was babbling, and talking nonsense, at least as long as Merlin was concerned, and he quickly got sick of it.

"For God's sake, Will, be clearer, will you?"

"Arthur said you kissed him", Will sighed, and Merlin felt like the world had suddenly frozen. Surely he had misheard. His mind must have twisted Will's words, because there was no way Arthur would do that to him.

"What?" he managed to croak, heart beating faster than ever.

"Yeah, I know, that's stupid. I know you would never do that to me, so I just thought that maybe you had known him before, and didn't say anything because he's famous or something, so I needed to ask. Now I know he lied. He probably just wanted to get us to fight so he could get you in his bed, you know."

Merlin swallowed with difficulty, feeling like his world was slowly falling apart. Arthur had told Will about the kiss, and Merlin couldn't understand why he betrayed him like that. He really thought Arthur was his friend, with, well, a bit of ambiguity, but he never thought he would be cruel enough to do that. What good could Arthur even think he would get out of this?

The line had got silent, and Merlin knew Will was waiting for an answer. Sure, he could say Arthur had lied, but what would be the point? Now the truth would blow up in his face anyway, so it might actually be better to admit it right away.

"Will… He.." Merlin closed his eyes and breathed heavily.

"Are you alright? You don't seem fine"

"He didn't lie" Merlin burst out quickly, as if saying it fast would make it less painful.

Will stayed silence for a few seconds, during which Merlin was sure his heart would explode. Not able to take it anymore, he stopped waiting and started to speak again.

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, Will, I…" He soon realized he didn't have much to say for his defense. What could he say? That he had kissed Arthur because he was somehow attracted to the man? He wasn't sure that would make it any better for Will. Probably worse, actually.

"When?" was all Will said to him.

"A month ago"

"How many times did it happen?"

"Gods, Will, only once! It was only one kiss and I… I'm really sorry."

"Yeah, you're sorry but you still invited him to stay in our house", Will snorted, before adding "I never thought you could do something like that, Merlin" and he hung up.

Merlin let himself fall down on the floor, and wiped away the tears that threatened to invade his eyes. He still couldn't believe this was happening, that Arthur had purposely fucked his relationship up. Merlin was mad at himself for kissing Arthur, but he was also mad at Arthur for telling Will when he swore he would do as if nothing had happened. But then, maybe it was all Merlin's fault for getting a wrong idea of Arthur from the beginning. He never believed Will when he claimed Arthur was only playing nice to get a shag, but then he never believed Arthur could betray him. Maybe he was wrong about everything. Whatever it was, it cost him his relationship with Will. He knew that man, there was no way he was going to forgive Merlin, especially when he kept saying how much he distrusted Arthur, and even more when Merlin brought him into their home.

Finally, Merlin got up. He needed a drink. Several drinks, actually. He went straight to the bar, ignoring Gwen's smile, and ordered whatever the bartender had as long as it was hard.

* * *

Arthur had long stopped listening to whatever Gwen and Morgana were saying when he spotted Merlin sitting at the bar. Muttering an excuse, he left the girls and headed towards his friend.

"Hey, Merlin, what are you doing?" He smiled.

"Get the fuck away from me", Merlin spat without even turning his head to him.

Arthur was startled by such a cold and almost hating tone, and he pulled a stool, sitting near Merlin instead of leaving as he was asked.

" Okay, what's wrong?"

This time, Merlin turned to look at him, and Arthur almost shivered just from that look. He obviously had done something Merlin didn't like, though he wasn't sure what it was.

"I can't believe you did that" Merlin sighed, barely loud enough for anyone to hear.

"Did what?" Arthur frowned. "Merlin, what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about you fucking Will and me up!" he hissed angrily, and Arthur bit his lip, finally understanding what it was about.

"Merlin, please, I can explain…" He started to say before Merlin cut in.

"I don't care about your explanation, s'not like I'm ever gonna believe a word you say again."

Merlin stood up, ready to leave as far away as he could, but Arthur grabbed his arm.

"Merlin, please. It's not what you think, let me tell you what really happened" Arthur was almost begging, knowing he couldn't let Merlin leave without explaining himself.

"Oh yeah, you want to explain why you told my fucking boyfriend that we kissed? Why you just ruined my relationship, when you're the one who said it didn't mean everything and that we'd just do as if nothing happened? Well go ahead, I can't wait to know how you'll justify being such a bastard!"

Merlin had all but yelled, and the room was now entirely silent, everyone looking at them. Arthur bit his lip, mortified, and Merlin broke his arm free and left, slamming the door and leaving Arthur facing Gwaine and Morgana's glares, as well as everyone else's wide eyes.

Finally, Arthur left the pub too, and went back to the office, only to get his car. He knew that Merlin came to work with him, and so he was probably in the building, but Arthur didn't want to face him, especially not when he was drunk. He might have a chance to explain if Merlin was in his right mind, but not now. Knowing that Gwaine or Morgana would gladly drive him back home, Arthur got in the car and left.

* * *

He drove aimlessly for a while, cursing himself for letting those damned words out of his mouth. About three hours after he left the office, he finally parked near Merlin's house, with every intention of grabbing his things and leaving. He would stay with Morgana, or in a damn hotel, but there was no way he would stay at Merlin's when the man hated him, and when Will would probably be very satisfied with the situation. The lawyer had gotten exactly what he wanted, and he had broken Merlin and Arthur's relationship. Though, if Arthur was totally honest with himself, it was actually his own fault for telling Will about the kiss, but it made him feel better to blame the other man.

He was actively packing his things when a voice made him jump.

"What are you doing?"

Arthur stood up and turned to face Merlin, who was leaning against the door, looking now sober but exhausted. Merlin crossed his arms, but Arthur wasn't sure that the look in his eyes was actually anger.

"I thought you'd be happy to see me leave", Arthur said quietly.

"What about your stalker?"

"I don't… It's not about that, and you know it. I don't want to stay here if you hate me".

"I don't hate you", Merlin muttered, looking down onto the floor.

"You definitely seemed to at the pub", Arthur argued.

"I was drunk. And, well, someone did talk a bit of sense into me"

"Gwaine?" Arthur couldn't help but ask.

"Yeah. Along with Morgana. It was quite weird to see them team up, actually"

Arthur let a little smile out at the thought of Morgana and Gwaine taking his defense even though he was the one who fucked up.

"Anyway, I…" Merlin took a deep breath before adding "I don't hate you. I just don't understand. Why did you do that?"

Merlin was looking at him with big eyes, like he was about to start crying again, and Arthur felt his heart break a bit more. But he knew he couldn't lie anymore, it would do more harm than good, so he decided to tell the truth.

"Alright, look, this morning when you went to the bathroom, Will asked me to follow him outside. I… Actually I did hear what he said about me last night, so I told him that I had no intention to try to get you in my bed, and he…" Arthur paused, wondering whether he should tell Merlin about his feelings or not. "Anyway we ended up fighting, and I got mad, because I found… something weird about Will, and I… I was just mad and it slipped out of my mouth, but I never meant to actually tell him, I swear. I'm really sorry, Merlin."

"What did you find?" Merlin asked, frowning.

Arthur sighed and rubbed his temples. How would he ever get out of this?

"I don't think I should tell you" he said quietly.

"And I don't think this is for you to decide. I want you to tell me".

"Merlin, please. I've ruined you enough for today".

Arthur went to pass Merlin, but he grabbed his arm and pushed him back into the room.

"Don't you dare leaving without telling me. I want the truth, Arthur."

"Fine! I found out that Will ordered… Well the paper was in a drawer he had left open, alright, I didn't look through his things".

"He ordered what?"

"Condoms", Arthur sighed. "A whole box. Along with lube and stuffs. I… I wouldn't have said anything, but when he accused me of being nice to you only to shag you, I… I just threw it up into his face, and he wouldn't say what he planned to use them for, so I… I didn't have much choice but to think he was cheating on you, and that's why I got mad and said we had kissed. I'm so sorry."

Arthur looked up at Merlin, who sighed and sat down on the bed. Arthur sat next to him, biting his lip.

"Are you sure?"

"Well, he said he wasn't cheating, but then he wouldn't tell me why he bought all this, so I don't know." Arthur admitted, not wanting to hide anything from Merlin anymore. "Look, if you want me to leave, I will. That's not a problem."

"I don't… I don't want you to leave."

"You don't?" Arthur asked unbelievably.

"No. I… Look, I don't know what to do. With you, with Will… I just don't know. But I know that I don't want to be worrying over you, which will happen if you leave. I don't want to wonder all the time if your stalker got you. And I… I still think you care about me, and I think whoever it is know that, and I still mean what I said this morning. I do believe you'll protect me if he tries to hurt me to get to you."

They were both at the verge of tears, and Arthur couldn't help but pull Merlin in his arm, holding him tight.

"I will. I swear I will. I care about you so much, Merlin, I…" He paused, and gently held Merlin's face, looking straight into his eyes. He was going to tell him the truth, to tell him he loved him and would treat him better than Will did. And maybe, just maybe, he would get something good out of it. Merlin liked him, he was sure of it, so maybe he would choose him over Will.

But before he could say anything, they heard the door slamming and quickly turned their heads, only to face Will, who was glaring at them.

"Well, I definitely wasn't expecting that", he said coldly.

Merlin jumped away from Arthur and got up, standing between Will and Arthur, who were both glaring at each other.

"What did you buy condoms for?" Merlin asked, staring into Will's eyes, which snapped from Arthur to Merlin and back at Arthur, before Will walked threateningly towards Arthur.

"You told him that?"

Arthur got up too, unimpressed, and crossed his arms.

"Yes. I figured he deserved to know".

Will squinted his eyes and grabbed Arthur's throat, pushing him against the wall. Merlin immediately grabbed his waist and tried to pull him away.

"Will! Will, stop!"

Finally, Merlin managed to pull him and placed himself between the two men, while Arthur was rubbing his throat.

"What the fuck, Will?" He yelled.

"That son of a bitch has no right to…"

"Stop it!" Merlin cut in. " _You_ had no right to do that! And you wouldn't have done it if you had nothing to hide, would you?"

"I have nothing to hide from you, Merlin. I don't know what he told you, but I never cheated on you and I never will."

He tried to touch his face, but Merlin batted his hand away.

"Then I'll ask again. What are the condoms for?"

Will sighed, and ran a hand through his hair.

"They're for Freya".

"Freya?" Merlin frowned. "What the hell does Freya have to do with any of this?"

"Look, I didn't tell you because I know she's like a sister to you, and I thought you wouldn't like to have these kind of images in your mind, but she does have a sexual life".

"I'm not stupid, Will, of course I know that! What I want to know is what the link with you buying condoms is!" Merlin snapped.

"She asked me to buy them for her, alright. Among other things… sex toys. She said she would never be able to go in that kind of shop by herself, and so she asked me! I only bought quite a huge number so I wouldn't have to do it again soon."

"What about the lube?" Arthur asked from behind Merlin, hardly believing anything that was coming from Will's mouth.

"Well, that was for us. I just thought I would buy it at the same time. Merlin, I swear I'm telling the truth. I love you."

Merlin ran a hand through his hair and sighed heavily. He didn't know what to do or even what to think anymore. He fell down on the bed again, and Will knelt between his legs, holding his hands.

"Merlin, please, believe me. I love you. And I… I know I haven't been easy to live with lately, I know I'm not always there, but I want to do better. I don't blame you for… that thing with Arthur. I know it wouldn't have happened if I had been a better boyfriend to you. But I'm here now. And I want to be that perfect boyfriend. Hell, Merlin, I want to be the perfect husband for you."

Merlin gulped, and looked up to Arthur, who was staring into space with no emotion on his face. Merlin freed his hands from Will's, and looked all around him as if it would somehow give him a solution.

"I'm not asking you to answer right away, of course" Will added. "I know you need to think, I just want you to know that I'm ready to forgive you, and I want to marry you. If you'll have me."

Will kissed his hand and got up, heading to the door.

"I'll stay with Freya tonight, to give you time to think." He looked at Arthur and snorted. "I trust you, I know he won't get anything from you".

Arthur glared back at him, and then Will was gone.

* * *

Arthur stayed unmoving for a while, and then sighed.

"I guess I should leave too".

"Yeah, 'cause leaving me alone is so much better", Merlin snorted, and Arthur stopped.

"Do you want me to stay?"

"No. Yes. I don't know. I don't fucking know what I want anymore".

Arthur bit the inside of his cheek and sat on the bed near Merlin. He wasn't sure to know what to say, what Merlin actually needed to hear.

"Look, Merlin, I know you don't want me to leave your house because of this stalker thing, but there is no way Will is going to let me stay here if you choose to stay with him." Then, realizing how it sounded, he added "I'm not telling you not to stay with him, of course not, I just… I just want you to know exactly what each possibility means."

"I do. I just… Will made it clear what he wants, but what do you want? Why aren't you saying anything?"

Arthur looked up at his eyes, and smiled weakly.

"Because what I want doesn't matter, Merlin. I'm not going to influence you by telling you how I do or do not feel. None of this is about me, it's all about you, and whether you still love Will and want to marry him or not. It has nothing to do with me. Though Will's wrong, I never tried to get you to sleep with me."

Arthur had talked with as much confidence as he could, so he wouldn't let Merlin see his true feelings. Had Will not walked in the room, he would have told him everything, and probably would have begged him to let Will down to be with him, but it was out of the question now. He wouldn't let Merlin know the truth. Knowing that Merlin was already torn up by the fact that being with Will meant kicking Arthur out of the house, and that it scared him because of the stalker was already too much. He had no right to put even more pressure on Merlin.

He knew Merlin was about to bring the stalker up again, when they heard a knock on the front door. They both got up and to the door, and Arthur frowned when he saw a picture on the floor, like it had been slid under the door. He bent down and picked it up, and gasped when he realized what it was. Merlin grabbed it, frowning, and lost his colors while Arthur was opening the door and bursting outside, but there was no one to be seen.

"Arthur."

Arthur turned back to Merlin.

"I don't think you can leave." He said slowly, throwing the picture on the counter.

Arthur closed the door and walked back to him. He looked briefly at the picture again, and wondered how that bastard managed to take it without being seen. It showed Arthur holding Merlin in his arms on the bed, just a few minutes ago, right before Will came back home. Whoever it was, they had managed to break into the garden to take a photo of them. But that wasn't what worried Arthur the most. No, what really scared him was the fact that a little target was drawn on Merlin's face. At least, the message was quite clear. They would try to hurt Merlin to get to Arthur. Which meant Merlin was right, he couldn't leave. He couldn't and would never leave him unprotected.

"Maybe you should tell Will the truth" Arthur said in a breath, hardly believing he was actually saying it.

"Arthur…"

"No, look, if you want to stay with him, you need to tell him. Besides, it's the only way he'll let me stay here, and you know it. Then, if you decide you don't want to be with him, that's fine, but you can't choose him and not tell him."

It hurt him to tell Merlin to tell Will, but he didn't have a choice. He wasn't stupid, and if Merlin was to decide he wanted Will back, then it really was the only way he could be allowed to stay and protect Merlin. On the other hand, he couldn't help but wonder how Will could not have seen the man leaving, considering how little time had passed between the hug and the moment Will had burst into the room. But then, maybe the guy was a sprinter, or maybe Will didn't look. Arthur and Merlin didn't see him either, and he must have been standing right in front of the window.

Thinking of Merlin, he then looked back at him, just in time to see him nod.

"I think I need…"

"Yes? What do you need, Merlin?"

"I need to see Lance."

"Your friend?" Arthur frowned.

"You know him?" Merlin asked, appalled.

"No, of course not, Morgana just told me that Gwen was dating him. And that he was your friend. Anyway, what… What does he have to do with anything?"

"Nothing", Merlin admitted. "But he's my best friend, and I… I think I need to talk to him. He always gives me good advice."

Arthur nodded, he could understand that Merlin was completely lost.

"Sure. I'll just… Wait here then."

"Alone? What if…" Merlin didn't finish his sentence, but there was no need to.

"Merlin, I'll have to be alone sometimes, you know. And so will you."

"I know but… He was in the garden not an hour ago, Arthur. Maybe… Maybe you could come with me."

"To see Lance?"

"Well, if we're lucky, Gwen will be there. You could talk to her. Or… I don't know, I just really don't feel comfortable right now."

Arthur nodded, and they left the house, heading for Lance's house, hoping Merlin was right and the man would actually give some good advice. He really needed them too. Even though he refused to admit it, at least to Merlin, he was scared. Scared of what the stalker could do to Merlin, and scared that Merlin would actually choose to marry Will, and to throw Arthur away as soon as the police would arrest the bastard harassing him.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

When they reached Lance's door, Merlin knocked softly and his friend opened the door, eyes widening and then frowning as he stared at Merlin and Arthur.

"Merlin! What are you doing here? And… Arthur Pendragon?"

Lance looked startled, and Arthur couldn't exactly blame him, not when he was almost wondering what he was doing here himself. He came because Merlin had asked him to, but he still didn't see the point and he was feeling more than a little awkward. Merlin said he needed to talk to Lance, who moved aside to let them in. He told Arthur to make himself coffee, and Merlin couldn't help but chuckle, remembering the awful coffee Arthur had made the day he moved in. Then, they both disappeared in the bedroom and left Arthur on his own, wondering what on earth he could do to busy himself, as he was pretty sure it would take quite a long time. He thought of leaving the house and exploring outside, but he knew Merlin would kill him if he did so. After all, he was only here because his friend didn't want him to be alone. So he sat down on the couch and started to wait, hoping Lance would provide some good advice to Merlin. And, well, if he was to tell him to drop Will for Arthur, he wouldn't exactly mind, even though he highly doubt it would turn out that way.

As soon as they settled on the bed, Merlin tried to explain the situation to his best friend. The whole situation. He even decided to tell him about Arthur's stalker, as he needed real help, and Lance wouldn't be able to give it to him if he didn't know the whole truth. When he finished his story, Lance looked up at him, and rubbed his temples, trying to process everything he just heard.

"Wait, let me see if I get it right. You've become friends with Arthur, kissed him when he told you about this stalker thing, and then asked him to move in with you and Will without telling Will about the kiss nor clearing things up with Arthur, and now you're wondering why everything went to hell?"

"Great, now you're sounding like Gwaine! I came because I need help, not sarcastic remarks, I would have gone to Morgana if that was what I wanted."

"I know, sorry, I just… You do realize that having Arthur in your house was a stupid idea, right?"

"Yeah. But I couldn't let him down, Lance, I just… I just can't. He needs me. He won't say it, let alone admit it, but he does. He didn't tell anyone besides me, I don't have it in me to reject him."

"You don't have it in you or you simply don't want to?" Lance asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I… Oh God, I can't believe Gwaine was right." Merlin sighed.

"Right about what?"

"He said this whole situation would end up in a love triangle. I laughed at him but… That's kind of where we are, isn't it?"

Lance snorted, and Merlin glared at him.

"Look, Merlin. I think you need to think it through. Leaving alone Arthur's stalker, which obviously complicates things, the question you need to ask yourself is: Do you still love Will enough to spend the rest of your life with him, or did you fell in love with Arthur?"

"I…"Merlin cut his sentence off, realizing he didn't know the answer. He had no idea where his own heart was standing. He didn't want to leave Will, but he didn't want to push Arthur away either.

"It would be alright, you know", Lance said slowly, patting his shoulder. "If you loved Arthur, I mean. You don't have to feel bad if you do. It happens. You are allowed to fall in love even though you're already with someone else, you can't help it. What is not alright would be to keep both Arthur's and Will's hopes high. You need to take a decision and to tell them."

"But what if I make the wrong choice? What if I marry Will and I can't forget Arthur? Or what if I choose Arthur and it doesn't go well? What if he lets me down once his stalker is found?"

"Okay, I highly doubt Arthur would do something like that, not with what you just told me. You did say he was taking you to lunch every single day long before he got the first letter, right?"

Merlin nodded, and Lance took it as his cue to go on.

"Well, that's… Merlin, look, I know you never cared about the tabloids, and famous people, but Arthur is quite famous."

"Yeah, I know that, thank you. He made it quite clear when he realized I hadn't recognized him, that prat", Merlin snorted but couldn't help a small laugh.

"Yes, well, he's not… Look, the tabloids always loved to tell what he's doing with whom. So it's a wonder they don't know he's staying with you yet, really. But the point is, he has never taken any of his PAs out. And he most definitely never paid them anything. And then there's the way he looks at you. I might just have met him, but it's enough to know he's not using you to hide from whoever is harassing him. He cares about you."

"I know, I didn't actually think… I'm just scared, Lance. I'm scared to screw up, to make the wrong choice. And then there's the stalker thing."

"Merlin" Lance said gently, "You can't make the wrong choice if you follow your heart. Trust me, deep down you already know who you really want to be with, and whether you would miss Arthur if you marry Will or not. Just follow your heart. And if it goes wrong, then it means neither of them was good enough for you. But don't expect me to tell you who you should pick. That's not my decision".

Merlin chuckled, and Lance frowned.

"What's funny?"

"Nothing. Arthur just said the same thing."

"Really? What did he say?"

"That he wouldn't tell me if he wanted to be with me or not, because he didn't want to influence my choice. He said it was all about whether I still loved Will or not".

A strange expression passed on Lance's face, but it was all gone before Merlin could decipher it.

"Alright, and… What about the stalker? Does the police have any lead?"

"I don't think so. Arthur says they didn't call him since he told them who knew where he leaved. I guess they must have no idea of who it is. I just hope they'll figure it out soon, before he gets the chance to do anything more than taking pictures. I… I'm so scared he'll do something to Arthur, I can't…. I don't know what to do."

Merlin saw Lance bit the inside of his cheek and frowned.

"What?"

"Did you hear what you just said?"

"What about it?"

"Merlin, you keep saying you're afraid he'll hurt Arthur, but what about you? It's your face he circled, right? Why aren't you scared for your own life? Would you… Nevermind".

"No wait, would I what?" Merlin asked, frowning even deeper. He didn't understand where his friend wanted to take him. Lance sighed but started to talk again.

"Would you still be only scared for his life if it was Will instead of Arthur?" Lance burst out before adding quickly "If the answer is no, then I think you shouldn't marry him. If it's yes, then it doesn't help much I guess."

Merlin nodded, and Lance passed an arm around his shoulder, allowing him to rest his head on his shoulder.

"As for the stalker, you need protection. Did you show the photo to the cops?"

"Not yet" Merlin admitted. "We'll do it right after we leave you. But I don't want protection. The last thing I need is a cop in front of my door, reminding me all the time that we're not safe. Besides, I already have Arthur. He'll protect me. He already has."

Lance almost argued, but gave up. He knew Merlin could be stubborn, and he definitely knew there was no way he would agree to have police protection. But he couldn't let his friend drown in his problems.

"Alright, you know what I think?" Merlin lifted his head to look up at him, and Lance added "I think you need to think about something else. No Will, no Arthur, no stalker. Christmas is in a week, what do you plan to do?"

"Uh… I don't know. I guess I'm going to go see my mother."

"You mean you're going to spend several days alone with your mother, brooding thinking of Arthur and Will, and wondering where they are? No, why isn't your mother coming here instead? So we could celebrate together? You, her, me and Gwen, Gwaine… Oh shit, did I say me and Gwen?"

Lance's face had turned blank, and Merlin couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah you did. But that's alright, I already know you're dating her, that's great!"

"How did you know?"

"I'm just that smart." Merlin smirked, and Lance raised an eyebrow.

"Merlin…"

"Fine, she told me. But don't be mad at her, it just slipped out of her mouth, just like you did."

"Right. Well, at least you know" Lance smiled. "So what about Christmas?"

"That sounds great, Lance, but I don't have enough room for all of us. Neither do you. And we can't afford to book a place, so…"

"We can ask Morgana, Gwen says her house his as huge as Buckingham. Though I think she might be slightly exaggerating, there must be enough room."

"Morgana's never going to say yes to me."

"No, but she will to Gwen." Lance smiled, and Merlin rolled his eyes.

"Fine, whatever you want. But… If the party's thrown at Morgana's, it means Arthur will be there as well."

"Yes, I didn't think it would be a problem."

"It's not! It's just… What about Will? I don't want to leave him alone for Christmas."

"Actually I hoped your mind would be settled by then and that you would either take Will to the party and hope Arthur behaves, or not take him at all. But then, I guess you can manage to have them both behave for two days, even though it will still be awkward."

Merlin sighed and fell down on the bed.

"Why does everything have to be so complicated?" He moaned, staring up at the ceiling.

Lance shrugged, and helped him into a seating position again.

"Do you feel better?"

"Yes. No. Maybe. I'm still confused."

"Yes, that much is obvious. Just think about what I said, Merlin. Ask yourself who you care about the most, who you truly can't live without, and everything will settle."

Merlin wasn't nearly as convinced as his friend, but he nodded nonetheless, and they both got out of the room. Merlin stopped by to use the bathroom, while Lance went to the living room to see Arthur, who got up as soon as he saw him.

"How's Merlin?"

"A bit better, I think. I think he needs to get all of this off his mind, so maybe you could try to talk to him about other things."

"Right. Sure, that… that makes sense." Arthur admitted, running a hand through his hair.

"Arthur" Lance said, and Arthur let his hand drop by his side as he looked up to the man. "Do you love him?"

Arthur's eyes widened. He wasn't expecting that question, and wasn't sure if he should say the truth or not. He didn't know what Lance had told Merlin, but the man probably was Will's friend too, so the chances were he would tell him to marry him and let Arthur down.

"Merlin says you didn't want to tell him how you felt, so that's why I'm asking".

"Yes, I… I didn't tell him because I think he should take his decision by himself, and not be influenced by whatever I or Will want. It's about his happiness, you know, not ours." Arthur felt like he was babbling, something that didn't happen to him since he was a child.

"I think you're right" Lance admitted. "And that's also why I think you love him. He also said you're used to taking him outside for lunch, and that you saved his life".

"I didn't really save his life, I just… Nevermind. Look, I know you've probably read some tabloids, and everyone thinks they know me just because they read a lot about me, and how I shagged my PAs, and what a bastard I am, but that's not… That's not all I am. I'm not denying it, I did shag almost all of my PAs, but that's not what I want from Merlin. I didn't even mean to tell Will about the kiss, I just… I love him, you're right about that. But I won't tell him. I don't want to pressure him, I already… Gods I'm already scared he's going to choose me just because of this stalker thing, and that he will then leave me because I'm not good enough. Though to be honest I don't think Will is good enough for him either, but that's… I want him to be happy. And if it's not with me, I'll accept it. I'm not going to harass him or anything, but I… I do love him."

Only then did Arthur realize he had just told everything he had on his heart to a complete stranger.

"I'm sorry, I…"

"Don't", Lance cut in. "There's no need to apologize. I'm glad to know that you love him, actually. Because I think he might love you too, and I don't want him to leave Will for someone who will break his heart."

"I will never…" Arthur stopped when they heard Merlin coming back.

* * *

A few minutes later, they were leaving Lance's house and sitting in the car, heading to the police station.

"So uh… Did Lance help you?"

"Yeah, sort of. Though what he really helped me with is to find out how to spend Christmas" Merlin chuckled. "He wants to throw a party at Morgana's."

"Oh God, he really thinks my sister is going to say yes?" Arthur asked, not believing it.

"Well, he thinks she won't be able to say no to Gwen, at least."

"The worst part is that he might actually be right." Arthur admitted.

They then fell silent again, and Arthur was playing Lance's words in his head. "I think he might love you too". The man was supposed to be Merlin's best friend, so Arthur was really tempted to just believe it, but he knew he couldn't afford to get his hopes too high. Lance might be Merlin's closest friend, but it didn't mean he was obviously right, he could be wrong.

They finally arrived to the police station, after stopping by Merlin's house to get the photo, and they showed it to the lieutenant charged with the case. The man insisted to get them protection, for they still didn't have many leads. In the end, they agreed that a policeman would follow them, but would stay far enough not to bother any of them or be seen by their friends. Even though Merlin wasn't quite happy with it, he knew it was the best solution, and went on with it.

* * *

Once they were back at the house, Merlin finally told Arthur what he had been thinking about for the entire trip.

"I think I'm not going to ask Will to come back" he said slowly, and Arthur looked up at him, suddenly very hopeful.

"Why not?"

"Mostly because it would do nothing but endanger him" Merlin admitted, and Arthur swallowed his deception. "I mean, if he comes back, chances are that he'll eventually get involved into all of this, or notice the cops, and I can't do that to him. He doesn't deserve it."

Arthur had to briefly close his yes, taking it in. Of course Merlin would only want to keep Will away to protect him, they had been together for more than two years and Merlin had said countless times that he loved him, so why would he ever throw him away for someone like Arthur?

"Besides" Merlin added, oblivious to Arthur's mental sinking," I don't want to get back with him. At least not the way we were before. If anything, I think it would be better for both of us if we just spend some time together without actually be together, you know. It would give us time to know whether we still love each other or not".

Merlin looked up at him, and Arthur nodded, unable to do more.

As Arthur wanted to listen to Lance and get Merlin's mind –and his own, really –off of all of their problems, he decided to push Merlin to do more things after work, even though they finished later than ever because of many files that needed to be treated, and Arthur also needed to work on his campaign to be 'Businessman of the year", the ceremony being in early January. He more than ever hoped that his stalker didn't do it because of the campaign, because he knew that if he did, he would probably start to be more and more insistent, and that wouldn't really help with trying to think of something else.

For four days, they went to a pub after work, before eating and watching a movie –or more accurately, end up fighting over said movie because they didn't have the same point of view on some character. But the point was that it was working. Both of them were much more relaxed than they had been in months.

Gwen had also managed to convince Morgana to throw the Christmas party at her house, even if she had to promise she would take care of everything and Morgana could just sit down and wait for people to arrive. Merlin had then called his mother, who had been enchanted to come over for Christmas, as she never had a lot of money and had almost never left the town of Ealdor.

But then , two days before Christmas, Merlin had told Arthur he wouldn't be spending the evening with him but with Will, and that he would like to invite him to Morgana's party.

"I don't want him to feel rejected, but it's your sister's house, so if you really don't want him to come, I won't ask" Merlin had said, and Arthur didn't have the heart to say no. So he ended up telling Merlin to invite Will over, and, because he obviously had no brains when it came to Merlin and because he had wanted to give a good impression, he had even said that he would buy Will a small gift as a way for a truce.

So now, Arthur was wandering in the streets, looking for something to offer to the man he hated most –leaving the stalker alone –while said man was spending time with Merlin. He knew he technically had no right to be jealous, as he and Merlin were not in a relationship, but he was. Still, he had promised Merlin he would be nice and civilized with Will, so he would. He finally opted for the cheapest scarf he found, and went back home. Gwaine had insisted to come with him, as he found out that Will had left the house, and he kept telling him to find himself a date, to open Merlin's eyes. Arthur considered it for a second, before deciding it wouldn't be fair to Merlin nor to the poor man who would believe Arthur was actually interested in him.

There had also been no letters or photos since the one with Merlin's head targeted, and Arthur was more than glad about it. His stalker was probably too busy celebrating Christmas to annoy him, after all the man probably had a family too. At least that's what he told Merlin when his PAs told him it had been a while since they had last received anything.

Arthur had finally come back home and was eating a piece of cake when Merlin came back. His friend sat down beside him, and Arthur turned his head to look at him.

"How did it go?"

"Good. It was a bit weird, but…yeah. He said he would come to Morgana's for Christmas" Merlin said and Arthur nodded, before eating another piece of cake.

He heard Merlin chuckle and turned his head, frowning, when a hand came to wipe the corner of his mouth, and froze when Arthur stared at Merlin.

"You uh… Had a bit of…" Merlin didn't finish his sentence, and didn't take his fingers off either. They both stayed staring at each other, Merlin's thumb almost on Arthur's mouth, for a while before Merlin finally took his hand off and cleared his throat.

"Right, well uh…I'm tired, so I'm going to bed. Good night."

Arthur barely had time to answer before Merlin was off the room.

* * *

Two days later, Christmas day had finally arrived, and Arthur was still getting dressed in the bathroom while Merlin was yelling at him from behind the door.

"Arthur, for God's sake, hurry up! We're gonna be late, and everyone is going to be there, even my mother, and Morgana is going to kill us, not to mention Gwaine's annoying comments!"

Arthur rolled his eyes, tied his tie and finally opened the door.

"There, I'm ready! I'm sorry, Merlin, but it takes time to look that perfectly good!"

"If you were looking for perfection, then you should have spent a few more hours in there!" Merlin smirked.

"Oi! Come on now, Merlin, or we're going to be late!" Arthur almost sang, heading to the door, and definitely feeling Merlin's glare in his back.

A few moments later, they were finally at Morgana's door, and Arthur's fears came back all at once. What if something turned wrong with Will? What if Merlin's mother didn't like him and insisted for Merlin to marry Will?

Shaking his head, he knocked at the door and Morgana opened it seconds later.

"Dear brother, Merlin, you're late." She said coldly, and shut the door in their faces.

Arthur rolled his eyes and opened it again. "Merry Christmas to you too, Morgs!"

As he noticed that everyone was already there, including Will and Merlin's mother, he took a deep breath and followed Merlin, who had all but ran to his mum. With a bit of luck, everything would go just fine.


	7. Chapter 7

I'm so sorry for the wait, I've been overwhelmed by work, but now I'm on holidays, and I can write more often. Anyway, I hope you'll like it !

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

Arthur had been wrong. This was absolute hell.

Morgana and Gwaine kept annoying him with not so subtle jibes, Lance and Gwen kept throwing him nice compassionate glances that irritated him more than anything, and Will was… Ignoring him when Merlin was near, and glaring hard when Merlin couldn't see.

At least, he thought, Merlin's mother had been nice to him so far. But then, they didn't even start to eat, so the night was still going to be long.

When he thought he was going to strangle Morgana, Hunith came to him, and he placated his best smile. The last thing he wanted was to make Merlin's mother think he wasn't good for his son.

"Hunith" He greeted her. "Are you having a nice night?"

"I am" she smiled. "Would you come with me outside, I'd like to talk to you."

Arthur gulped but nodded and followed her, earning a questioning look from Merlin, and he shrugged in answer.

Hunith led him to the stairs in front of the house, and they sat to be more comfortable.

"So, Arthur, Merlin told me you were living together."

"Uh yes. My house has been robbed, and the police said I would need to stay elsewhere for a while. I told Merlin I could stay with Morgana, but well, you know how stubborn he can be"

Hunith laughed and nodded.

"I do indeed. He also said he was working for you."

"Yes, but don't worry, I might be his boss at work, but if anyone is leading things at home, that would be him!" He chuckled, before realizing what he had said. "I mean, when I say at home, I meant Merlin's house, not…"

"There is no need to feel awkward, Arthur. Merlin also told me about Will and how they came to break up."

"They didn't… Look, I don't know what you heard, but I never meant to break them up, I…"

"I know that, and Merlin does too" Hunith said reassuringly. "To be honest, I think they would have ended up breaking up even if Merlin hadn't met you. I always sensed these two were not meant to last. As friends maybe, but Will wasn't the right one for my boy."

"Really? They seemed quite close, from what Merlin used to tell me."

"Merlin has always had troubles with knowing what's truly good for him. He's very discerning when it comes to anyone else, but he just can't know what's good for himself".

Arthur nodded, and then frowned.

"So you knew Will wouldn't make Merlin happy and you didn't try to tell him?"

Hunith smiled softly, as if Arthur had asked a silly question.

"Of course not. It would only have pushed Merlin to hold on to Will. Besides, I always promised myself I would not interfere with my son's love life unless it was strictly necessary. My son is old enough to make his own mistakes."

Arthur nodded once more. "Alright, but why are you telling me these things? Not that I mind, but…"

"I can see how you look at my son, Arthur, and even more importantly, I can see how he looks at you. I've also seen how worried you are about all of this, so I just thought I would let you know that neither I nor Merlin blame you for the failure of his and Will's relationship. I only want what's best for my son, and I've seen already how much he needs you. How much you need him. I'm only telling you all this because I don't want you to step away from Merlin because you'd think I wouldn't approve."

Hunith smiled softly at him, and Arthur couldn't help but smile back. Even in his wildest dreams, he wouldn't have dreamt of Merlin's mother giving him her blessing. He was about to thank her when the door opened and Will appeared on the frame door.

"Hello Will" Hunith greeted him, but Will only glared at Arthur.

"So, Hunith, is Arthur telling you about how he shagged each and every PA he's ever had? I'm sure he has a lot to say about his sex life, don't you Pendragon? I'm sure Mrs Emrys would love to know just what kind of man wants to shag her son." He snorted, and Arthur bit his lip and looked down, mortified.

He was sure Hunith would loathe him now, and was surprised when she stood up to face Will.

"Oh, he did actually, I know everything, and I must say I'm really glad to know that my son will never come back to me unsatisfied anymore." She said softly, smiling, and Will made a face before running back inside.

Shocked, Arthur got up as well, and stared at Hunith as if she had grown a second head.

"Oh dear, I might come from a tiny village, but we still know what tabloids are, and how they like to twist the truth."

"I… I did have sex with many of my PAs though", Arthur sighed, not wanting to hide anything from Hunith.

"And so what? As long as you're good to my son, I couldn't care less about how many partners you've had. I do believe you truly love Merlin, I can see it in your eyes, and that's enough for me." She smiled, and reached the door. "Come on now, we don't want that sister of yours to start worrying because we're not back yet."

Arthur beamed at her and nodded, following her happily. Maybe the night wouldn't be as disastrous as he had thought.

* * *

As soon as he was back in the living room, Merlin came to him.

"What did my mother want?"

"She just wanted to talk. She asked if you weren't too awful to live with" Arthur smirked and Merlin snorted, hitting his arm slightly before laughing.

"Right. Come on, Gwen is bringing some food" Merlin said, taking Arthur's hand to lead him to the table. Arthur sat next to him, not that he could have been sitting elsewhere since Merlin had led him, and since Morgana had placed little papers with everyone's name to make sure he would sit with him. On his other side was Hunith, and Morgana and Gwaine were across him, both smirking suggestively at him.

A few hours had passed, and Arthur had completely forgotten about his fears. He was laughing and joking with Merlin, something they hadn't done in a long time because of Will and the stalker problem.

"So, how did you two meet?" Hunith asked, and Arthur snorted.

"Merlin spilled my coffee on my suit at the shop" He said, rolling his eyes and earning an outraged gasp from Merlin.

"That's not true, I didn't spill it! No, mum, actually Arthur wasn't looking where he was going, he collided with me, and his coffee was _almost_ spilled, but his precious suit had nothing in the end!"

" _I_ wasn't looking where I was going? Oh come on, Merlin, stop lying! I'm sure your mum knows you're the clumsiest person on earth, there's no need to be ashamed of it!"

Merlin gasped again and threw a piece of bread at Arthur, who laughed and threw it back. They soon started a food war, and Morgana narrowed her eyes in anger, as Gwaine, Lance, Gwen and Hunith laughed and Will rolled his eyes.

" _Enough_ " Morgana hissed. "I spent a lot of time cook…"She was interrupted by Gwen's coughing, and rolled her eyes. "Gwen spent a lot of time cooking, and I won't have you two ruin it. So behave." She threatened them with her spoon and sat back, glaring at them.

Arthur snorted and excused himself to go to the bathroom, not without pinching Merlin's arm as he got up, and getting his hip slapped in return.

As he got out of the bathroom, he found himself face to face with Will, who glared at him.

"Having fun, Pendragon?"

"Look, Will, you don't like me, I don't like you, fine, but we're both here to please Merlin, so I would appreciate it if you could at least try to make an effort. It's not my fault if I'm having more fun than you, you know. Maybe if you stopped sulking and actually tried to integrate yourself in conversations, you wouldn't be having a bad night." Arthur stated and bypassed Will to go down the stairs, only to stop when Will started to talk again.

"You really think Merlin is going to choose to be with you, don't you?" Will huffed. "It doesn't matter that Hunith and Lance chose you over me, because it doesn't mean Merlin will."

Taking a deep breath, Arthur rubbed his temple. Will was seriously starting to get on his nerves. He was really trying to be nice and civilized to please Merlin, but he wasn't going to let the lawyer walk all over him.

"Sure, but tell me again which one of us has left the house and which one of us is still living with Merlin?" He smiled politely, only to annoy Will just a bit further. "Oh, right, that would be me. It's me Merlin comes back to every night, so it might not mean he'll choose me, but I think I have more chances than you do."

Arthur turned his back and went back to the stairs, with every intention for it to be the last words he would say to Will during the night.

As he was walking down the stairs, he felt a hand on his back, pushing him, and then all went black.

* * *

Merlin was talking with Gwaine when he realized Arthur still hadn't come back from the bathroom. Frowning, he looked around but couldn't find him.

"Have you seen Arthur?" He asked, but Gwaine only shrugged.

"I'm sure he'll be back soon" Will said and Merlin nodded. "Come on, how about we take a walk, uh? It's been a while since we haven't been just the two of us."

Merlin nodded, but pretended to need to get his coat first. The truth was that he couldn't help being worried for Arthur, and instead of going to the bedroom to get his coat, he walked up the stairs, knowing that the bathroom was on third floor. He was about to reach the second floor's stairs when he spotted a body lying on the floor.

Eyes widening, he ran to Arthur's side and gathered him in his lap.

"Arthur? Arthur, come on, wake up!" He shook his friend, but in vain. There was a trickle of blood running down Arthur's forehead, and Merlin's heart started to race.

"Arthur? Arthur, come on, please wake up!"

He pushed to fingers under his chin, and sighed with relief when he found a pulse. He ran a hand through Arthur's hair, urging him to wake up, when he felt him shifting in his lap.

"Arthur?" He asked again, softly, and this time his eyes met Arthur's confused blue ones.

"Merlin?" He croaked, trying to sit up and bringing a hand to his head, moaning.

Merlin wrapped an arm around his back, steadying him so he wouldn't fall back down.

"What happened?" Arthur asked.

"I don't know, I found you on the floor." Merlin answered, grabbing his face and checking for further injuries. "How are you feeling?"

"A bit dizzy, but I'll be fine."

"Are you sure? I should take you to the hospital, you could have a concussion or something, and…"

"No, Merlin" Arthur cut it, bringing a hand on Merlin's arm. "I'm fine, don't worry. Besides, I don't want to ruin the party."

"Arthur, come on, no one would care about the party, and it's safer to take you to see a doctor, just to be sure you're alright."

Arthur sighed, and used Merlin's shoulder as an anchor to stand up. "Look, how about we go back downstairs, and I swear to tell you if I don't feel good so you can take me to the hospital?"

Merlin wanted to say no and to take him to the car using force if he had to, but he knew he'd better not go against Arthur, and nodded, but not before making him swear to tell him if he was feeling weird, even if it was just a headache. Sighing, he wrapped an arm around Arthur's waist to be sure he wouldn't fall down the stairs again, and they went back to the living room.

"Arthur! Where were you?" Lance asked, at the same time Morgana exclaimed "What the hell happened to you, you're bleeding!"

"I'm fine, Morgs" Arthur assured her,h is arm still around Merlin's shoulder. "I think I fell down the stairs, that's all."

Morgana narrowed her eyes. "You fell down the stairs? I've been living here for more than eight years and you never fell before, even that one time when you were so drunk you couldn't even speak. I can hardly see how you could fall now."

"I don't know, but I most definitely fell" Arthur shrugged, and let Merlin lead him to the couch, where he sat with him, completely forgetting about the walk he was supposed to take with Will.

"I don't think he fell", Gwaine whispered to Morgana.

"Of course he didn't" She nodded.

"No, but I saw Will go upstairs not long after Arthur did, and he was the first to tell Merlin not to worry when he noticed Arthur wasn't there."

"Are you saying that son of a bitch pushed my brother?" Morgana hissed, tightening her jaw.

"All I'm saying is that Will hates Arthur, and had every reason to want to hurt him, and he was upstairs with Arthur. I don't know if he did push him, but it wouldn't surprise me if he had".

"That bastard is a dead man", Morgana hissed, pointing her finger out.

Before Gwaine could stop her, she grabbed Will by the collar and punched him. Everyone turned their heads to stare at them, including Merlin who had been busy feeding Arthur with nuts, both chuckling.

"What the hell!" Will shouted, and Morgana walked threateningly closer to him.

"I know what you did."

"I don't know what you're talking about, are you all crazy in that family?"

Morgana didn't bother to notice the insult. "You pushed Arthur down the stairs."

This time, Merlin got up, frowning. "What?"

Will stared at Merlin and raised his hand.

"Merlin, I swear I don't know what she's talking about, she's completely crazy! She's only saying that so you'll be mad at me!"

Merlin narrowed his eyes and sat back on the couch, facing Arthur expectantly.

"I… I don't know" Arthur stuttered. "I don't really remember, all I know is that I was uh… arguing with him, and then I went to go back downstairs and I can't remember anything else until I woke up."

Merlin closed his eyes and sighed for a second, before standing up again, and he walked to Will.

Staring right in his eyes, he crossed his arms, and asked "Did you or did you not push him?"

Will bit his lip and sighed. "I didn't think he'd be hurt. I swear, I thought he would only tumble a bit, but not actually fall or get hurt. Merlin, I…"

"Get out." Merlin cut in, his jaw tightening.

"Merlin!" Will exclaimed.

"I said get out. I should never have invited you to spend Christmas with us, and now I want you to leave."

Before Will could argue or beg, Gwaine rolled his eyes and grabbed him, leading him outside with Lance's help.

Arthur got up too and went near Merlin.

"Merlin, I'm…"

"I swear to God, Arthur, if you say you're sorry I will kick you out too."

Arthur closed his mouth and Morgana clasped her hands. "Right, how about we go back to the table? I… Gwen made some delicious cake, and hopefully we'll spend the rest of the night peacefully and happy!"

All nodded and sat back at the table, pushing the whole argument behind them, even though Arthur still felt like he should be apologizing, but he didn't want Merlin to kick him out, and he wasn't stupid enough to try it.

* * *

They then opened their gifts, and Hunith discreetly pushed those for Will away, so they wouldn't waste the good mood.

Almost all gifts had been unwrapped when Arthur shoved a box in Merlin's hand. Merlin smiled and opened it quickly, to discover a tiny wooden dragon. He looked up at Arthur, beaming.

"How did you know I like dragons?"

"You said the only thing you had from your father was a sculpted dragon. I know this one isn't exactly sculpted, but I thought…" Arthur let his sentence fall into oblivion when Merlin suddenly jumped in his neck and captured his lips in a passionate kiss.

At first surprised, Arthur soon pulled himself together and kissed back, wrapping his arms tightly around Merlin's waist, ignoring the applause and shouts from their families and friends.

When they parted, Arthur stared in Merlin's eyes.

"Please tell me you're not going to say it was a mistake again" he whispered, and Merlin smiled and pecked his lips once more.

"I'm not" he said in his ear, before turning to face the others, Arthur's arm still around his waist.

"Oh thank God" Gwaine exclaimed. "I thought I would die waiting for you two!"

Merlin rolled his eyes and Arthur threw a cushion at him.

They kept harassing them for a while, until Hunith put a stop to it, and Arthur mentally thanked her.

A few hours later, they were all getting to bed and, not wanting to give their friends more reasons to annoy them, Arthur and Merlin went in separate rooms after kissing each other good night.

Once in his room, Arthur fell down on the bed, exhausted. If he had known falling down the stairs would get him Merlin, he would have tried it long ago. Still, he wasn't stupid, and decided not to get his hopes too high until he and Merlin had a real talk, and he knew exactly where they stood.

He put his phone on charge when he realized he had two texts. One was from Will, and said "you might have won the battle but don't think it's over", and Arthur rolled his eyes, not really caring about what Will could say. The other message was from an unknown number, and said "Don't think I forgot you, you'll get your Christmas gift soon enough."

Arthur gulped reading the second text. It was quite obvious who it was from: his stalker. He threw the phone on the table and sighed. He had hoped the stalker would leave him alone, and had been wrong.

He fell asleep fearing what he would find when the man would decide to give him his "Christmas gift".


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

When Arthur woke up, he decided against telling Merlin about any of the texts, at least for now. He got up and went downstairs, to find that everyone but he and Merlin were already up. He felt relieved, because it meant he wouldn't have to be the one to decide how to say hello to Merlin. And really, he was sure he would have made a fool of himself if he had been. So he just sat with everyone else, and not much longer later was Merlin getting downstairs as well.

Merlin kissed his mother hello and simply waved at everyone else, and Arthur couldn't help but feel disappointed. Merlin then sat next to him, and before Arthur could say anything, Merlin's lips were pressed against his own. He kissed him back eagerly, trying not to smile into the kiss. Merlin pulled back soon, and flashed a quick smile before turning to the others, his hand grabbing Arthur's.

Morgana grinned and smirked at him as soon as Merlin couldn't see her, and Arthur stuck his tongue at her.

* * *

A while later, Merlin felt like he had actually married Arthur, since everyone kept coming to congratulate him. Lance and Gwen had been first, saying they were happy for both of them, and Merlin had found it rather nice. His mother had of course come to him as well, and he felt relieve knowing she liked Arthur. Actually, she liked Arthur so much that Merlin started to fear she would soon start to plan their wedding and find kid names, but he was still glad to have her blessing.

Strangely, Morgana hadn't come up yet to annoy him, but Merlin was pretty sure she was too busy driving Arthur crazy to even think of teasing him.

Gwaine, on the other hand, had apparently decided to become his shadow. He was behind him at every second, grinning and smirking, reminding him of how he had been right, and how he had immediately guessed that Arthur and he would end up together, and…. And Merlin really, really wanted to punch him so he would finally shut up. But he hated violence, so he just sighed and glared at him.

When finally they lost interest in them and all turned to the cake, Merlin sat next to Arthur, who turned to smile at him.

"How are you feeling?" Merlin asked.

"Great, why?"

"Do I really need to remind you that you "fell"? Are you sure you're fine? No headaches or anything?"

"Merlin, I'm fine" Arthur rolled his eyes. "I swear" he added, putting his hand up, and Merlin hummed.

* * *

In the late afternoon, Gwen and Lance said their goodbyes and left, Lance needing to get up early to go to work. Merlin found himself tired as well, and actually wanted nothing more than to go home, but he also wanted to spend as much time as he could with his mother. In the end, Morgana offered Hunith to stay a few weeks at hers, since the house was huge. Hunith refused at first, but ended up accepting when she realized it really wasn't a problem for Morgana. Merlin hugged her, glared at Gwaine once more and then left with Arthur, who drove them back to the house.

He fell into the couch almost as soon as he entered the house, and Arthur sat next to him. Merlin could sense there was something wrong, but he couldn't figure out what it was, so he simply decided to ask.

" Alright, what is it?"

Arthur sighed before looking at him.

"Where do we stand?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, did you kiss me on the moment and then didn't know how to get away with it or did…" Arthur couldn't finish his sentence, because Merlin hit him with a cushion, hard. "Oi, why are you hitting me?"

"For being stupid enough to think something like that" Merlin snapped, hitting him again before straddling his lap to immobilize him. "I kissed you because I want to be with you, you prat. I… I love you. I.. I have for a while, I just… I was too scared to really admit it."

Arthur beamed at him.

"You love me?" He asked with a cocky smile, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, shut it!" Merlin rolled his eyes and leaned in to kiss him hard. Arthur wrapped his arms around him, keeping him from falling off the couch, and chuckled against his lips. "I love you too."

Merlin chuckled and pecked his lips before getting off him.

"God, I'm completely exhausted. Want to go to bed?"

Arthur nodded, got up and went for his room, until Merlin rolled his eyes again and pulled him by the arm.

"What…"

"I know you usually don't do relationships, but you do know boyfriends are supposed to sleep in the same bed, right?"

"Boyfriends, uh?"

"If you want to" Merlin shrugged, and Arthur smiled, following him happily.

As he lay down with Merlin, he tried to push all thoughts of Will sleeping in that very same bed away, focusing instead on the fact that Merlin chose to sleep with him now, and to date him, not Will.

Being exhausted as well, it didn't take long for any of them to fall asleep.

* * *

When he woke up, Arthur found his breathing restricted, and his heart raced for a second before he remembered where he was and he realized it was only Merlin, who had moved during the night and now rested his head on his chest. Arthur looked at the clock and was really glad when he remembered he had given everyone another day off for Christmas, since they had worked really well and were in advance.

He absent-mindedly started to stroke Merlin's side, who shifted and groaned before opening his eyes to look up at him.

"Hi"

"Hey. Slept well?"

Merlin nodded and rolled so he was completely on top of Arthur, whose hands came to rest on his waist as a reflex.

Merlin smiled and kissed him, before kissing his way down his throat.

"Merlin, what are you doing?"

"What do you think?"

"I just…" Arthur gasped when Merlin got down his chest and nipped at a nipple. "I thought you might want to wait."

Merlin lifted his head to look at him again. "Why? It's not like we don't know each other. But we can wait, if you want, I mean…"

"God, no" Arthur gasped, taking his lips in a passionate kiss. "Though don't blame me if I can't last too long, I've been dying of blue balls for months."

"What do you mean, I thought you were getting laid all the time?" Merlin pointed out between kisses.

"Not since… Not since I fell in love with you." Arthur admitted, his cheeks reddening slightly.

"You mean…"

"That I'm so into you I couldn't even sleep with someone else even though I thought you'd never want me? Yes, alright, so now could please not mock me and go back to kissing ?"

Merlin beamed at him and kissed him hard, before whispering in his ear "I didn't slept with Will since I kissed you either."

Arthur opened wide eyes and sat up abruptly, and Merlin almost fell off the bed. "Are you serious?"

"Yes" Merlin shrugged, slightly embarrassed. "I just… We weren't getting along these days anyway, so it didn't seem that weird, but the truth is I wasn't thinking of him anymore when I got aroused. I guess I fell for you a bit too hard as well." He laughed, and Arthur rolled them over until he was lying on top of him.

"Well, I guess that's a good thing we finally got our shit together, right?"

Merlin chuckled and stroked his back, pressing him even more against his body.

There wasn't much talking after that, only sloppy kisses and clothes being taken off until they were both naked, devouring the other's body.

Arthur opened Merlin up with slick fingers, all the while kissing his mouth or neck, burying his face there, before putting on a condom and slowly pushing in, his thrusts matching that of his hands on his hard member, and slowly bringing them both to completion. Merlin had wrapped his legs around his waist and was meeting his thrust, his hands stroking and scratching at his back.

Soon, they were both coming, and Arthur threw the condom in the bin before falling down next to Merlin, who rolled on his side, facing him. He let his hand stroke the skin of his chest, smiling softly.

"Do you know when I fell in love with you?"

"When you first saw me and you immediately fell under my compelling charms?"

"No you prat" Merlin chuckled, pinching his ribs. "We were at the restaurant for lunch, and you were insulting me, calling him every single name just because I forgot to send you a file you didn't even need that day, and…"

"So you fell in love with me because I insulted you? I knew you were weird, but not that weird."

"Shut up and let me finish. There was a man who heard what you said, and he went to our table to tell you that you should fire me, because it was absolutely unacceptable and that I was a complete idiot, and that Arthur Pendragon deserved better than that; and you got up and punched him. And then you said you couldn't stand when people didn't say your name properly." Merlin laughed, and Arthur joined him.

"I remember that. He really had said "Pentragon then, instead of Pendragon. I don't know what is it with people and messing up my name, but it's annoying."

"Oh shut up, he had said it the right way, and you know it. I found it really cute though. No one ever hit someone else for me."

"Well then", Arthur said, bringing Merlin closer to him by the waist. "I'll hit all the people you want."

Merlin chuckled and kissed him lovingly before resting his head on his shoulder, playing with the blond hair on his chest.

* * *

Lost in their bubble, neither of them heard the front door opening, and they jumped when someone appeared at the door of the bedroom.

"Will! What the fuck are you doing here?!"

"I wanted to talk to you, but I see there's no use" Will said through clenched teeth. "You tell me to go away and not even two days later you're fucking him? So what is it, were you shagging that son of a bitch even before Christmas? Or when we were together ?"

"Of course I never cheated on you!" Merlin snapped. "But you have no right to get mad, we're not together anymore, and I can do whatever I please! By the way, don't you ever get into this house without knocking again, it's not your home anymore."

"Of course it's still my home, Merlin! This is our house!"

"Technically it's Merlin's" Arthur, who had leaned back against the wall, pointed out, earning a dark look from Will.

"Why the fuck do you think you can talk?"

"Look, you're a lawyer, right? You should know that since Merlin bought this house alone, it's his and only his. He let you live in it for a while, but now it's over, and you have no right to be mad about it. Just saying."

"Oh, you can be smug, you bastard, but you'd better watch your back!"

"Will!"

"Are you threatening me?" Arthur asked, more amused than scared. Maybe Will should team up with his stalker, he'd have better luck at hurting him.

"Yes, I am" Will spat, and Merlin sighed loudly.

"All right, that's it. Get out."

"Merlin come on! Don't tell me you actually fell for this fucker, it was just for the sex, right?"

Merlin got up and pushed him to the door. "You know what? I can't believe I've thought you were a good man for so long. I do love him, if you must know, more than I ever loved you, and I want you out of this house right now!"

Merlin slammed the door in his face before Will could add anything.

* * *

When he got back into the bedroom, Arthur had his phone in hand. "Merlin, speaking of threats, there's something I need to show you." He said slowly, and Merlin sat back with him, frowning, and he close his eyes, sighing, when he read the text the stalker had sent Arthur.

"What do you think it means?"

"I've no idea, but I should probably show it to the cop who's following us, maybe he'll see something and will be able to stop the guy before he does anything." Arthur shrugged, not really convinced by his own idea, but it was the only one he had.

Merlin sighed and let his head fall on his shoulder.

"I can't wait to know who that tosser is, just so I can punch him for screwing up with our lives."

"I thought you were against violence" Arthur chuckled.

"I am, but some people deserve it."

Arthur let out a small smile and kissed the top of his head.

"Come on, we should probably get up by now." He said, softly hitting his shoulder.

* * *

When he got kicked out of the house by Merlin, Will punched the wall in his rage. He couldn't believe it. He had known Merlin for all his life, and he still had chosen Arthur. The damn bastard had even managed to turn Merlin against him. He was good, Will couldn't deny it. But he would bring him to his knees and get Merlin back by any means, even if it was the last thing he did. Pendragon had probably planned it all along, from the moment he had hired Merlin. He had become his friend, and got himself invited in, so he would have all the time to play with Merlin's head. It was a good plan, Will had to admit.

But the prick was not the only one who could make plans.

Will took his phone out and dialed the number. "I'm in." He said through clenched teeth, and he hung up. Pendragon would regret it.


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry for the short chapter, the next one will be much longer!

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

After Will left, Merlin and Arthur got dressed quickly, putting on a pair of trousers and an old shirt, and Arthur made pancakes as Merlin made coffee.

"It's a good thing you can cook better than you can make coffee" Merlin laughed and Arthur snorted.

"I told you already, I have amazing skills in everything but coffee."

"And I told you already, you only wish for it to be true, love."

Arthur looked up at the use of the pet name, but Merlin was putting pancakes in his plate, and obviously didn't realize what he had said, so Arthur said nothing, but he couldn't help the small smile that appeared on his face.

"Why are you smiling?" Merlin asked, chuckling.

"Uh? Nothing."

Merlin laughed and began to eat again.

Later, as Merlin was taking a shower, Arthur got outside and found the cop who had been following them at a distance since they showed the picture the stalker had taken of them to the police. He told him about the text, and that he feared the stalker would attempt something soon. The man nodded, and said he would keep an eye open.

Feeling a bit reassured, Arthur went back in and decided to join Merlin in the shower.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking a shower. You take too bloody long."

Merlin let out an outraged noise, but stepped aside so Arthur could get some water. He ended up pushing him under the water and embracing him from behind, leaving chaste kisses down his jaw and neck. Arthur arched in his touch and laughed, before grabbing his arm to pull him so that they were face to face.

"Come on, I'm gonna rub your back."

"You know, you're quite hot when you're wet" Merlin said once they were out of the shower and drying themselves.

"Only when I'm wet?" Arthur arched a brow, pretending to be outraged.

"Why, yes. We don't want to that head of yours to get even bigger, do we?"

Arthur rolled his eyes.

"My head is still less big than your arse."

"Oi! You prat!" Merlin shouted, elbowing him in the ribs as Arthur laughed.

* * *

They spent the next few hours cuddling in front of a movie, before Merlin dragged Arthur outside to go shopping. Arthur grumbled, saying he wasn't a girl and didn't want to go shopping, but Merlin needed new pants, and promised him he would let him take them off him if he came to the shop. That decided Arthur, who then seemed much happier at the prospect of going to the mall.

They stayed there the afternoon, and left when Merlin couldn't stand Arthur's whines anymore. He called him a child, which made Arthur sulk, and Merlin had to kiss his pout away before they went back home.

"I'm sure Gwaine is waiting for us with a huge banner saying "finally"" Merlin joked when Arthur and he got up the next morning to go to work.

Arthur and nodded. "Yeah, sound like something he'd do. I'm sure Morgana would give him a hand."

Merlin chuckled and handed him a cup of coffee.

"You have to take your own car today" Arthur said after a while. "I've got an appointment with Annis at Caerlon's and I'm not sure I'll come back to the office afterwards."

"Yeah I know, should I remind you I'm the one who handles your schedule?"

"Right. You don't mind though, do you?"

"Mind what?" Merlin asked, turning away from the sink to look at Arthur.

"That I'm your boss. I mean, I know we haven't forbidden colleagues relationships, but most people look pretty badly at boss and employee relationships."

Merlin chuckled and stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Arthur's waist.

"Arthur, you know I don't care. As long as you don't start to think you can boss me around at home too, that is."

He smiled and leaned in to kiss him, running a hand through his blond hair.

"Come on, we're going to be late."

* * *

When they arrived at the office, there was no banner, but Gwaine did shout loudly that they had finally gotten together, and everyone started to clasp their hands, making them both feel pretty uncomfortable.

Arthur rolled his eyes and said he had too much work to do to stay and listen to Gwaine's stupid lines, but he really just wanted to stop the embarrassment.

Morgana joined him shortly after, and sat on his desk.

"So, brother dear, how was your day off?"

"Amazing. Well, apart from when Will burst in the house and started to make a scene, that is."

"He did? Wow, I didn't think he was stupid enough to do this. I mean come on, it's obvious it's the worse way possible to try to get Merlin back."

Arthur glared at her.

"Not that Merlin would take him back in any case, but well, you know."

Arthur rolled his eyes again, as he often did in presence of Morgana.

"Yeah, thank you Morgs. Anyway, how's Hunith doing?"

"Amazing, she says she's never stayed in a house that big. She loves London. And I think she might have fallen a little bit in love with you as well, though I can't see why. Must be running in that family."

"What did she say?"

"I'm definitely not going to tell you everything; your head is big enough, dear. But basically, she might be starting to plan your wedding."

Arthur chuckled.

"I thought she wouldn't like me, to be honest."

"Why? Because of your reputation? Or because you're stupid?"

Arthur narrowed his eyes and she chuckled.

"Don't you have work to do, you witch?"

She shrugged, and left the room.

* * *

After working and eating with Merlin, under the annoying shouts of Gwaine and the few people who had decided to join him as they left, Arthur left for his appointment.

Gwaine stopped near Merlin's desk, and Merlin looked up at him.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I was just wondering, did Will the tosser try to get in touch with you?"

"Why?"

"I don't know, I just thought he would. You know I can break his jaw if he's annoying you and Arthur, right?"

Merlin laughed.

"Yeah I know. But don't worry, I get it."

"So he did try something?"

"He came in the house without even knocking first" Merlin admitted. "Though I think that finding me and Arthur in bed might convince him to never do that again."

Gwaine threw his head back in laughter.

"He found you shagging Arthur? God, I would give anything to see his face!"

Merlin chuckled and pushed him off the desk.

"Come on, we've got work to do."

* * *

A while later, Merlin was cleaning up his desk briefly so he would be able to leave work.

He got in the elevator, not taking his eyes off his phone, and jumped when he heard someone clearing his throat. Looking up, he frowned and sighed when he recognized Will.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, glaring at him.

"I figured you wouldn't let me in if I came home again, so this was the only way I could see you." Will shrugged, pressing the button to stop the elevator.

"Alright, listen. I do not want to see you, or talk to you, or even hear your name, is that clear?"

Merlin pressed the button, and let out an annoyed sigh when the elevator stopped again.

"Will, for God's sake, leave me alone."

"Arthur doesn't care about you, you know that, right?"

Merlin snorted, but didn't answer.

"Could you please start the elevator again?"

"Why? You have something to do?"

"Yes. I want to go home and make passionate love with Arthur, and then go to the restaurant, and have sex again. You're ruining my plans, so please press that damn button."

"No."

Merlin huffed, and shoved Will to the side to get to the stop button. Will tried to keep him from getting to it, but winced and leaned back against the wall when Merlin hit him in the ribs, where he had been shot years ago.

"Merlin!"

"I told you to press the damn button." Merlin said coldly, and they remained silent until the doors opened. They both got out, and Merlin had every intention to storm off the building and to his car, but Will stopped him by grabbing his arm.

"Look, Merlin, I get that we're not together anymore, but… Not so long ago, you loved me. How can you hate me so much now? I haven't done anything…"

"Anything? Will, you pushed Arthur in the stairs."

"I didn't mean for him to fall and you know that!"

"But you saw he was unconscious, and you didn't even stop to make sure he was alive! You could have killed him, and you didn't care. I can't love someone so heartless", Merlin spat, and he left without a second thought, ignoring Will's shouts, begging him not to go home. He shook his head and got to his car, but stopped at Will's next words.

"There's a bomb in your house!"

Merlin turned to face him, scowling.

"You really don't have anything else to make up? That's pathetic, Will."

"Merlin, please, I'm not kidding. Don't ask me how I know it, but your house will explode when someone will open the door, so please don't go."

Merlin was about to laugh it off, but something in Will's look made him stop. He really looked serious, and worried. Then, there was that text Arthur had received. Could that stalker have posed a bomb in his house?

" How do you know?"

"I can't tell you, but please, Merlin…"

"How. Do. You. Know?"

Will didn't say anything, and Merlin was about to insist when he realized what time it was. Arthur's appointment was over, which meant he probably was already heading home by now. Merlin glared at Will and got in the car, quickly getting his phone to call Arthur, who didn't pick up.

Getting more and more worried, Merlin started the car, ignoring Will's pleas and big gestures, and drove towards the house. He tried calling Arthur again, but in vain. When he got into his street, his house was still standing, which could either mean Will had lied, or that Arthur wasn't there yet.

He parked the car in the street, a few meters away from the house in case it was actually about to explode, and spotted a familiar blond head getting out of his own car, in the alley in front of the house. Merlin shouted his name, but Arthur didn't hear him. He started to run towards the house, still calling him. Arthur seemed to finally hear him, and he turned to him, smiling and waving to him. Merlin saw him take his key out and his eyes widened.

"Arthur _, wait!"_

Arthur turned, frowning, and started to walk to him quickly, but he had already turned the key in the lock, and the door started to slowly open. The next thing Merlin knew was that all he could see was fire and people coming out to see what the noise was, and Arthur was nowhere to be seen.

" _ARTHUR!_ "He shouted, and fell to his knees.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

After the house exploded, everything was blurred. Merlin had no idea how long he had stayed kneeling on the pavement, too shocked to move. He heard people shouting, the ambulances and the firefighters sirens, but he couldn't pay attention to them. It was as if his entire world had frozen. He felt someone pulling him up and making him sit somewhere, and he knew someone was talking to him, but he couldn't figure out how to talk or even to understand what they were saying. All he could do was stare at the house, at where Arthur had stood.

Morgana got out of her car quickly and rushed towards the police captain, fighting some cop who wouldn't let her cross the security line, Hunith at her side. A red-haired man spotted her, and told his men to let them go through.

"Leon! What the hell happened?" Morgana asked, barely able to keep her voice from breaking.

"We don't know Morgana, and your brother's boyfriend won't tell us anything."

"I'll talk to him" Hunith said, walking to her son.

She knelt beside him and put a hand on his knee, trying to wake him from his startled state.

"Merlin?"

She got no answer, and turned to face Morgana, worry written all over her face.

"Where's Arthur?" Morgana insisted, wanting to get answers from Leon.

"The firemen are still trying to extinguish the flames, it's too dangerous to get any closer for now."

"Excuse me? Are you really telling me that my brother might die because these idiots don't want to take the risk they fucking signed for?!"

"It's the new decision of the mayor, Morg…"

"Do I look like I care? Someone would better be going to get him right now or I swear to God I'll call every journalist in the whole world to tell them how you let a man die because the mayor decided he didn't want to hire any more men!"

Leon, obviously scared of what Morgana could do if she was really mad, nodded and left quickly. Less than five minutes later, they were lying Arthur down on a stretcher. Morgana rushed to his side, but Merlin, who seemed to have awoken at the sight of Arthur, had been quicker and was all over him within a second.

"Arthur!"

"We have to take him to the hospital, sir." Someone said, and Hunith had to grab him to stop him from running after them. Merlin turned around to face her, tears running on his cheeks.

"No, no, I've got to go with him, I…"

"Merlin, sweetheart, calm down. Morgana will take us to the hospital."

Merlin nodded and followed Morgana, who was willing herself to stay strong, as she knew she couldn't afford to break down. A policeman came to Hunith, but before he had a chance to say a word, she pointed her finger in his face.

"Don't even think of questioning my son right now. He'll tell you everything he knows, but not before we went to the hospital and know how Arthur is, is that clear?"

Eyes widening, the man quickly nodded. "Yes Ma'am."

Satisfied that she didn't lose her frightening skills, she turned away and joined Merlin and Morgana.

* * *

They had been sitting in the hospital waiting room for more than four hours, and Hunith was desperately trying to get either Merlin or Morgana eat something when a doctor finally came to them. Morgana stood up in a heartbeat, quickly followed by Merlin, and Gwaine, Gwen and Lance who had come as soon as they had heard the news.

"How is he?"

"He's been badly burned. We managed to stable him, but… He fell into a deep coma. There's no way to know when he'll get out of it, if he ever does. I'm sorry."

Merlin fell back on the chair, holding back the tears that were once again watering his eyes, and Lance sighed, sitting next to him and patting his back.

They stayed sitting there in silence for about an hour, until Merlin managed to pull himself together and asked to talk to Morgana.

"I don't want to talk to the cops."

"I know, Merlin, but I'm afraid you won't have much of a choice"

"No, you… You don't get it. Arthur had told the one who was staying in front of the house that something would happen, I know he did. There's no way he couldn't see someone sneaking in to put a bomb inside."

"Wait… A cop was watching the house? Why? And why would Arthur know something was going to happen?"

Merlin bit his lip and sighed.

"Someone was harassing him. They sent threatening letters, took pictures of us, it was becoming quite a big deal, so Arthur told the police and they placed someone to keep an eye on us. On Christmas' night he got a text saying he would get a "gift" soon, so he told the cop, and…"

Morgana raised a hand, shutting him up.

"My brother was being harassed and none of you thought it would be a good idea to tell me?"

"I'm sorry, Arthur... Arthur didn't want to worry you. But look, the point is that the cop should have seen someone sneaking in. There's no way he couldn't, I guess the bomb had been placed during the day, and I know he had stayed near the house."

"Alright but… I don't get your point, Merlin."

"What if he was working with the one who did this?"

Morgana shook her head. "Merlin, I know you're upset, we all are, but…"

"Will knew."

"What?"

"Will knew the house was booby-trapped. He's the one who told me, he came at the office to tell me not to get home."

"He trapped the house?"

Merlin shook his head. "I don't think so. As much as he hates Arthur, I don't think he would take the chance to kill me instead. He must have known by other means but… If he was ware, then he probably wasn't the only one. Look, all I'm asking is for you to talk to that guy, the captain. You trust him, right?"

"I've known Leon all my life."

"Then I want to talk to him. Only him. Please."

Morgana nodded, and Merlin sighed, rubbing his temple slightly before biting his lip.

"Do you think he'll wake up?"

Morgana looked up at him with teary eyes. "I don't know."

* * *

Two days later, Arthur's condition had not improved, but visits were now allowed, and Merlin spent most of his time besides him, hoping it would somehow urge him to wake. He had to wake up, because Merlin had no idea what he would do if he didn't.

Morgana had managed to get Leon to swear Merlin would only talk to him, and he had told him everything he knew, but Leon had been unable to find Will to question him. Morgana had snorted, and hissed that she was sure he had already left the country like the coward he was, but Merlin couldn't bring himself to care. He was staying with her and his mum since he didn't have a house anymore, and even though Gwaine was trying to cheer him up or get his mind off Arthur every time he saw him, his whole world revolved around Arthur now. He would get up early to be able to jump to the hospital before going to work, and then he would stay late into the night. Since Arthur was an important man, and since Morgana was really scary, the hospital had allowed him to stay much later than normally allowed.

It went on for four months. The police had found nothing, not Will nor the cop who had been supposed to watch the house, as he had vanished as well. Gwaine had been trying to get him to go out again for two months, and Gwen and Lance had joined him a few weeks ago. Morgana and Hunith didn't say much on the matter, but Merlin knew they didn't approve of him spending too much time in the hospital.

* * *

But Merlin understood they were really getting worried when one of the nurses asked him to leave at seven pm. She awkwardly explained to him that Morgana had threatened them again, only this time to force them to restrict him from visiting Arthur.

"How dare you tell the hospital to keep me from visiting Arthur?" Merlin shouted once he got back at hers.

"That's not what I told them, Merlin. Of course you can still visit him, you're just not allowed to spend the night there anymore."

"But why?"

"Merlin, sweetheart," Hunith cut in, "We're only worried about you. It's been four months, and you're spending all your time there. We understand, but… You need to live, Merlin, you can't wait in that room forever. Arthur wouldn't want that for you, and you know it."

"So what, you're telling me I should give up on him?"

"Of course not, but…"

"Look, Merlin, the guys and I are going out tomorrow night. Why don't come with us? It would do you good."

Merlin wanted to argue, but he couldn't deny that they were right. Even though he didn't want to admit it, he hadn't been living since Arthur was in a coma. So he reluctantly shrugged, agreeing to go out with his friends.

* * *

The next day, he still stopped by the hospital before going to the pub they were all supposed to meet. He sat in the chair next to Arthur's bed, and slowly took his hand in his, kissing it chastely.

"Hey" he said softly. "I still don't know if you can hear me, but I hope you do. Or maybe not. Maybe it's better if you're not conscious at all, I don't know. I miss you, you know. Everyone does. I'm supposed to hang out with our friends later, but I don't really want to go. I know Morgana's right, you wouldn't want me to stop living to be at your side, but I…" Merlin paused, swallowing down his tears. "Guess what I haven't told you? You won the prize: you're the business man of the year. I know it was important to you so, here it is, you won it."

Merlin sighed, pressed a kiss on Arthur's forehead and left.

He was about to start the car when his phone ringed. He frowned when he saw it was an unknown number but answered.

"Hello?"

"Merlin?"

Merlin's blood froze when he heard that voice, and anger soon rushed through his veins.

"How dare you calling me, Will?"

"Merlin, listen, I…"

"No, you listen! I'm not sure what role you played in what happened to Arthur, and I think I'd better not know because I might stalk you until I know where you're hiding just so I can strangle you! I hate you, you have no idea how much."

"I saved your life."

"Excuse me?"

"I saved your life. If I hadn't showed up to your office, you and Arthur would both have been in the house. You'd both be dead."

"Oh, and so I guess I should forgive you and love you all over again because you felt a tiny amount of guilt after what you fucking did?"

"I didn't put the bomb in the house, Merlin."

"Oh really? Then who did?"

"I don't know."

"I don't have any time to waste on you. Don't ever call me again" Merlin spat.

"No, Merlin, wait!"

Merlin let out a heavy sigh.

"What?"

"I swear I don't know who trapped the house. I… I've been contacted by some people, all these months ago. They said they hated Arthur and wanted to annoy him, and I… I said I didn't want to join them, but after… After I found you in bed with him, and it was so obvious you had fallen for him, I… I was mad. So mad, and so jealous that I called them back. I didn't think they would do something like this, Merlin, I swear. I thought they only meant to play a few mean pranks on him, to frighten him a bit. So when they asked for a key to the house, I… I gave it to them. But then, they told me I'd better stay away from the area that day, and I understood what they had done, so I… I came to tell you. Hey didn't care if you got caught in, it would have served their interests anyway, but I… I couldn't bear to see you die."

"Who are they, Will? Why the hell to they hate him so much?"

"I don't fucking know! They never told me, and I never met them. All I know is that they're more than one person, though I… I think there's a leader, and the others might just be henchmen, but they were the ones who called me. I don't know anything more, I swear."

"Then come back from wherever you are and tell the police. You could actually help them finding them!"

"I'll end up in jail as well!"

"And so what? Don't you think you deserve it?"

"Merlin… I was hoping… Arthur won't wake up you know that, so why don't we start over? We could leave, go somewhere no one knows us, take a fresh start."

"You could have called him."

"What?"

"You knew there was a bomb. You knew Arthur was heading home. All you had to do was to fucking call him, and he would still be alright. I don't care about what you say, you're to blame for his state, and if he dies, I'll track you down so I can kill you myself."

Merlin hung up before Will could add anything else, and after allowing himself to sob for a while, he straightened up, dried his tears and started the car.

* * *

When he arrived at the pub, his friends shouted at him.

"Merlin! I'm so glad you made it, my friend!"

Merlin placated a fake smile and pretended to be alright. He knew his friends had been waiting for this night for a long time, and he didn't want to ruin it. Gwaine left for a while and came back with a tall, broad man who smiled at them.

"Guys, this is Percy. I met a few days ago, and I thought he would fit with us!"

Everyone greeted him, and Merlin bit back a remark on replacing Arthur when Morgana glared at him, defying him to do anything that would ruin the mood.

But when Gwaine dragged Morgana to get drinks, and that Lance and Gwen went to dance, leaving Merlin alone with Percy, he started to doubt their motivations. Percy smiled at him and went to say something but Merlin stopped him, raising a hand.

"Please tell me they didn't set me up with you."

"Uh… Well, Gwaine did say he had a friend I could get along with, but…"

"Oh my God. Alright, look, I'm sorry, you're very nice and all, but I already have someone."

"Oh. I didn't know that."

Percy looked rather embarrassed by now, and Merlin felt pretty awkward as well.

"Arthur's in a coma. But he'll wake up, I know he will. I don't want to give up on him."

"You're a good man, Merlin." Percy said, before nodding to the door. "Want to get out? As friends? It's up to you, but it might freak them out if they think we left to shag or something, I don't think that's what they were looking for when they set us up."

Merlin smiled, and nodded. As much as he loved his friends, he couldn't help but want to get back at them for thinking he should start to date again. He didn't want to date anyone but Arthur, and they knew it.

So he left with Percy, and they went into another pub before crashing at his, as Merlin was pretty mad and had nowhere to go besides at Morgana's. They both willingly ignored Gwaine's calls, and Merlin had to admit going out had been a good idea. Sure, he had been talking about Arthur for most of the night, but at least he wasn't talking to someone who could probably not even hear him. Making a new friend and getting human contact did him good.

* * *

After sleeping on the couch, he said goodbye to Percy and left. In the elevator, he met a dark-haired and browned eyed man who looked at him rather insistently, making him awkward, until the man finally spoke.

"Excuse me, you were Arthur Pendragon's PA, weren't you?"

"I still am, he's not dead." Merlin muttered.

"Sure, sorry. I just… saw your face pretty much everywhere after the explosion, and I thought I had recognized you. You were dating him as well, right?"

"What are you, a journalist?" Merlin asked, stopping the elevator. "Because let me tell you one thing: I have nothing to say and you'd better stay away from me, is that clear?"

"I'm not a journalist" the man raised his hands in submission. "I was just curious."

"Yes, well, I'd rather you don't talk to me." Merlin said coldly, pressing the button again.

"Do you think he'll wake up?"

"I know he will" Merlin said before stepping out and leaving the building.

As soon as he did, the man took his phone out.

"It's me. Bad news, I don't think he has any intention of giving up on Pendragon. So let's hope he does not wake up…. Alright, I'm coming."

He hung up and left the building as well.

* * *

When Merlin got back at Morgana's house, she almost jumped on him, along with Gwen, Gwaine and Lance. His mother was sitting in a chair, watching them carefully.

"Merlin! Where the fuck were you, we called you all night!"

"Sorry, I was busy."

"Oh my God, did you have sex with Percy?"

"Why, wasn't that the whole point of this set up?" Merlin asked innocently.

"Dear God, no!" Gwen moaned.

"We just wanted you to see that maybe you should spend less time with Arthur, and see that there were other people, but we never meant for you to grab someone and shag them!"

They all started to talk at the same time, obviously alarmed, when Hunith got up and shut them up with a whistling.

"Come on now, Merlin, tell them the truth." She said, laughing.

"Of course I didn't sleep with Percy you idiots! Do you really think I'd do that?" He almost added "to Arthur" but bit back his tongue. "We left to freak you out. You had no right to play with me, or him."

Gwen and Lance looked down, ashamed, and Morgana and Gwaine rolled their eyes.

"Fine, we're sorry. But we only wanted to…"

"I know what you wanted, and that's nice of you, really, but Don't try to push me to do things. I… I need time. And I'm not sure I'll date anyone even if Arthur stayed in a coma for ten years, but… Let me do things at my pace, please?"

They nodded and Gwen briefly took him in her arms.

* * *

A while later, Merlin was sitting on his bed with his mother.

"Are you alright? You seem sadder than for the last three months."

"I… Will called me."

He could see her stiffen a little.

"What did he want?"

"I'm not sure, and I don't care. But he said… He said he was the one who gave these people the key to the house. He says he doesn't know who they are, but that there is a leader and they hate Arthur. He asked me to come with him and start over, can you believe that? He… He could have saved Arthur, and he didn't do anything!"

"That's not entirely true, he did warn you."

"Yeah, but not him! If he had just called Arthur, then he wouldn't have been in the house, and he would still be here!"

"Merlin, do you remember what the doctor said? Why Arthur didn't die?"

"Yes, because he was running away from the house, and so it hit him slightly less than it should have, but…"

"He wouldn't have been running away if it wasn't for you. And you wouldn't have been here if…"

"What are you saying, mum, that I should thank Will or something?" Merlin asked, outraged at the very idea.

"Of course not. I'm only pointing the facts out for you. I only want you to get all of the facts, Merlin. It doesn't change what Will did, and I am certainly not telling you to forgive him, or to ever talk to him again, but he's not as evil as you think. The real culprit here is the person who orchestrated all of this."

Merlin knew his mother was right, so he nodded and rested his head on her shoulder, taking the comfort she was offering him.

* * *

Two months later, Arthur still hadn't woken up. Morgana had been directing the company ever since the explosion, but she was getting tired. She hated doing it, and she started to doubt whether her brother would ever wake up. She didn't want to keep directing it forever, but she also knew it was Arthur's life, and she would be doomed of he woke up to found she had given it away.

But a few weeks ago, she had met someone. A woman who had pretended to be her half sister, and after a few tests it was revealed that she was right. Morgana was dumbfounded, and had slowly agreed to let Morgause in her life. After all, she had lost a brother; she couldn't very well deny her new-found sister as well. But she couldn't help but have a funny feeling about her, so she hadn't told anyone she existed. She met her from times to times, but always lied to Merlin, Hunith or anyone else that would ask where she was going.

The fact was that she found Morgause's interest in Arthur's company quite weird. She was always asking whether Morgana liked it, and if she had any intention of giving it up.

She also asked a lot about Arthur, which could sound quite normal, but Morgana still had this funny feeling. So she kept on refusing to let Morgause visit Arthur in the hospital.

One night, as Merlin was out with Percy –who had become a good friend of his –and Gwaine, and after Morgause had asked her if it ever crossed her mind that she might have grew up in the wrong family, she decided to spend the night at Arthur's side, something she rarely did because she hated seeing him like this.

She stayed away for a while, but eventually fell asleep. And while she was sleeping, Arthur's eyes suddenly opened.

She must have somehow sensed it in her sleep, because she immediately woke up. She stared at him for a few seconds, before hurrying out of the room, trying to get anyone from the night shift. She managed to find a doctor, who came in to examine Arthur, who was still blinking and staring at her.

As Arthur started to regain his senses, he lifted his hand and tried to take move, only to be pushed back into the mattress by the doctor. He realized he was in the hospital, and tried to understand what had happened to him.

Finally, the doctor let him speak.

"How do feel, Mister Pendragon?"

"I... What happened?"

"You've been in a coma after your house exploded" Morgana answered, earning a glare from the doctor.

"What? Coma? How long?"

"Six months, Sir. Are you feeling any pain?"

Arthur shook his head, and the doctor left after telling him to rest and that they would come to see him in the morning. He also forced Morgana to leave as well, even though it was obvious she really didn't want to, and Arthur was left alone.

Six months. He had been in a coma for six months. He remembered going home after a meeting, and he thought he recalled Merlin shouting something at him, but he couldn't gather anything else.

Merlin. He wondered where he was, he wanted to see him. But as time passed, he started to get worried. Six months was a lot of time, what if Merlin had moved on?

In the end, he fell asleep, and when he woke up, he was once more alone in the room, but he cold tell it was the morning. He turned his head and spotted Merlin standing in the door frame, his back turned to him. He must have come to see him but had found him asleep. Arthur tried to sit up to get his attention, but it hurt as hell, so he gave up.

Then, he realized Merlin was on the phone, and, since he didn't have anything else to do, he listened.

"No, Gwaine, he's still asleep... Morgana said he woke up, yes. I hope he will be awake soon." Arthur smiled at that, if Merlin would just turn around, he'd see that he was already awake. "What? Percy? No, why would I stop seeing him? Of course I'm going to spend time with Arthur, but I'm not giving up on Percy, Gwaine, especially not now, don't worry. Yeah, I'll call you back."

Merlin hung up and Arthur closed his eyes, pretending to be still asleep. He wasn't ready to face Merlin, not after what he had just heard. It seemed that his fears had become reality, Merlin obviously found someone else, someone that wasn't Arthur, and that he had no intention to give up. It broke his heart, and Arthur was sure he would never recover from it, but he couldn't blame him. Six months was such a long time, and they had been together for what, two days?

Still, Arthur couldn't bring himself to open his eyes and face him. He loved him, and he wanted him to be happy, so he would let him go, but he wasn't ready just yet. He felt Merlin's hand stroke his hair, and did everything he could not to cry.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

When Arthur felt Merlin's hand leave his hair, he waited a few minutes before opening his eyes again to make sure Merlin would have left. However, it soon appeared that his reasoning was stupid, since he was in fact still there and had just sat in the chair. As soon as he realized Arthur was awake, he jumped forward and smiled brightly at him.

"Arthur! God, it's so good to see you awake!" Merlin briefly threw his arms around his neck and Arthur couldn't help but smile back at him.

"How are you feeling?"

"As well as I can, I guess" Arthur shrugged. "Morgana says it's been six months, but I don't remember much."

"The house exploded" Merlin said, gulping. "The stalker had put a bomb in it, and the cop who was supposed to watch over us was actually part of his team, and now he left, so…"

"Wait, the stalker has a team?"

"Uh Yeah, I think so. At least that's what Will said."

"Will?" Arthur narrowed his eyes. "Merlin, I don't understand a thing you say."

"Right. Will came to me that day, he knew there was a bomb, that's why I came back to the house shouting at you to get away from it –you may remember that. Anyway, he left and the police could not find him, but about two months ago he called me. He said that the stalker had formed some kind of hate group and that he didn't think it would go that far, but whatever. The important point is that we now know that they're a team, or more likely a leader and henchmen, but the police didn't find any lead so far."

Arthur closed his eyes and let his head fall back on the pillow. "Oh God." He moaned. It really was too much information and he felt tired already. "Where do you live now ? Since you don't have a house anymore?" He asked, biting a "because of me" back.

"At Morgana's, with my mum, she insisted to stay. I haven't had much time to look for another house. That's where we're going to take you when the doctor will say you can leave the hospital."

Arthur hummed, and then thought about this Percy guy again. Obviously, Merlin didn't want to overwhelm him by telling him straight away that he had met someone else, and Arthur didn't know if he was grateful or offended. A wave of sadness rushed through him, and he softly said that he was tired so Merlin would leave.

* * *

A week later, Arthur was becoming really irritated. The doctors still hadn't let him get out of the hospital, Morgana had decided he would not be allowed to go back to work for at least three months –which was way too long if you asked him –and Merlin still hadn't uttered a word about his new boyfriend. He hadn't been too close to Arthur either, hadn't kissed him or even hugged him since that time when he first woke up, and Arthur was pretty sure he would start to wish to go back in the coma very soon if nothing changed.

Finally, the doctors allowed him to live with Morgana, but agreed with her that he should not work for a few months, nor work himself too much, or basically do anything but stay in bed, because six months was a long time and they gave many other reasons but Arthur really hadn't listened to any of them.

Morgana had installed him in the same room as Merlin, and he started to wonder whether she knew about the new boyfriend. Maybe Merlin had only told Gwaine, after all. Anyway, it was making things awkward, and Arthur didn't want to be forced to sleep in the same room as Merlin if he didn't love him anymore, he knew it would be way too hard.

When Merlin came into the room that night, he found Arthur up and looking about everywhere in it. "What are you doing, you should stay in bed, Arthur."

"Yes, well, if you think I'm not going to move for months, you really don't know me at all."

Merlin rolled his eyes and wrapped an arm around his waist, slowly dragging him towards the bed.

"I know. Come on, let's go to bed, I'm tired and I know you are too".

Arthur huffed and pushed his arm away. "Why are you doing this? I'm not a child, Merlin, you don't have to pretend!"

Merlin frowned. "What do you mean?"

Arthur shook his head, offended by Merlin's denial that something was going on. "I'm going to sleep next door."

"What? Arthur, wait!"

Arthur ignored Merlin's pleading voice and locked himself in another room, waiting for him to tire and stop knocking at the door. He finally stopped, and Arthur was pleased, until he heard a weird noise. Frowning, he got up and slowly unlocked the door, only to roll his eyes when he found Merlin had fallen asleep on the floor. He picked him up and put him back to bed, ignoring the pain at using muscles that had been asleep for six months.

* * *

When the morning came, Arthur realized he must have forgotten to lock the door again as Merlin was sitting next to him, obviously waiting for him to wake up.

"Alright, what happened? Why don't you want to stay with me anymore?"

"Why do you? Not sure _Percy_ would appreciate it" Arthur snapped.

Merlin frowned and looked at him as if he was speaking in a foreign language.

"Percy? What the hell are you on about?"

Arthur sighed. "Please, Merlin, stop. I heard you on the phone with Gwaine when I woke up. You said you had no intention to give this Percy guy up, so why won't you tell me you found someone else? I get it you know, six months is a long time and…"

Arthur shut up when Merlin hit his arm. "Ow, what was that for?"

"You are such an idiot, Arthur Pendragon! How dare you believe I gave up on you? I spent six fucking months watching over you in that damn hospital and that's how you thank me? Have you really so little faith in me?!"

"But you said…"

"Percy is a friend, you clotpole! I met him through Gwaine an nothing ever happened,I fucking love you, you moron! I said I wouldn't abandon him because his mum just died and Gwaine was worried I would be too busy spending time with you to be his friend!"

"Oh." Arthur felt himself blushing slightly as he registered Merlin's words. Then, he frowned. "What's a clotpole?"

Merlin made a face. "Really? That's what struck you?"

Arthur shrugged, but before he could add anything, he found himself with his arms full of Merlin, kissing him fiercely.

"But if everything's fine, why did you barley touch me since I woke up?"

"Just did what the doctor said I had to, something about not overwhelming you I think." Merlin shrugged. "But guess what, there's no doctor here" he said before kissing him again.

When they broke apart, Merlin buried his face in Arthur's neck, inhaling his scent. "God, I missed you so much. Don't you ever do this to me again!"

Arthur pressed a kiss to his temple. He was definitely relieved to know that Merlin was not leaving him, and he might feel like an idiot for jumping straight to conclusions, but just a bit, and he would rather die than admit it.

When he looked on the bright sight, Merlin had said Will was long gone, he still loved him, and Morgana now knew about the stalker, as she had hit Arthur for keeping it from her as soon as this traitorous doctor had said she could without hurting him too much. Anyway, her knowing it meant she would make it a personal business to find them, and so Arthur should have more time to bond with Merlin.

Besides, he had been awake for weeks and there was no sign of the stalker yet. Maybe they would stop harassing him, even though he didn't believe it himself.

"I want to work" he sighed.

"I know" Merlin said, "but you can't yet. It's just for two or three months, you'll be fine, Arthur."

"Yes, well I don't understand why I can't work! I'm perfectly fine, no headaches, no pain, nothing! And really, I highly doubt that sitting at a damn desk is that dangerous for me right now."

Merlin shrugged. "I don't know. The doctor said the stress was bad for you, that you needed to be cool for a while."

"Well they obviously don't know me at all! I'm going to be far more stressed being here doing nothing! Besides, I'm pretty sure Morgana managed to fuck everything up! She did, didn't she? I'm going to go back to find my company down, I know that. She might even have done it on purpose, just to annoy me"

Arthur stuck out a threatening finger even though Morgana wasn't in the room, and Merlin rolled his eyes.

"No she didn't. She was quite worried about you, you know."

Arthur snorted and Merlin frowned. "What?"

"I really doubt she was worried. She barely came to see me at the hospital, the nurse –Mithian I think –she told me that."

"What did she say?"

"That it was a miracle Morgana was there when I woke up, as it was barely the fifth time she came. She didn't say it to be mean I think, but well. So maybe I'd considerate believing she was worried if she had at least stopped to see me a few more times! Your mother, and even Lance –who I saw like two fucking times in my life –visited me more than she did!"

"So that's why you've been cold to her, isn't it?"

"Dear God Melrin, are you really going to blame me and take her defense?"

"I'm not… I'm not blaming you, Arthur, but you don't get half of what happened!"

"Oh really? So you know my sister better than I do now, is that it?"

Merlin sighed, really not wanting to argue with Arthur when he had barely gotten out of the hospital.

"That's not what I said, so please stop overreacting." At Arthur hanging jaw and narrowed eyes, he quickly added "I just mean that apparently your whole family has problems with emotions, alright. You know Morgana better than everyone else, of course you do, but do you ever talk about feelings? "

Arthur made a face.

"Yeah, I thought so. Look," he stepped forward and took his hand in his. "Morgana loves you, I think she does more than you think, but she… She hated seeing you there, she said it reminded her of when your mother died. She was scared of seeing you die, Arthur. And coming at the hospital…It forced her to face her fears, and she hated it. I think you of all people should be able to understand that."

"Are you saying I'm emotionally constipated?" Arthur asked with a glare.

"No. I mean, yes you are, but that wasn't my point. My point was, if it had been her in that hospital bed, would you have been able to go there on a regular basis?"

Arthur sighed and glared at him. "I hate you."

"Yeah, love you too." Merlin smiled, kissing his cheek slightly.

* * *

When the night fell again, Arthur had tried to apologize to Morgana, pushed by Merlin, and Morgana had ended up hugging him, forced by Hunith. Then, she had told them that Gwaine had decided they should do a party to celebrate Arthur being awake –which Arthur found ridiculous, but Morgana had said yes already, because "Gwaine invites, which mean there'll be good wine." Arthur had rolled his eyes, but in the end had said he would come, mostly because he didn't have a choice since Morgana and Merlin wanted to go. Though, he guessed Percy would e there, since Merlin had said he was Gwaine's friend, and Arthur wasn't sure he wanted to meet him. Sure, Merlin had said nothing happened, but when Gwen had called him a bit earlier, she let it slipped that she was sorry they had all tried to set Merlin and Percy up. Arthur had spent a large amount of time glaring at his phone then, hoping Gwen would somehow get the glare.

But Percy was far from Merlin's mind, especially as he closed the door and kissed Arthur senseless. Arthur gave as good as he got, pushing him back against the door, devouring his jaw. But when Merlin tried to take Arthur's shirt off, he jerked away. Startled, Merlin frowned and reached out for him but Arthur stepped backwards.

" Sorry, I… I just… suddenly feel sick." Arthur said, and Merlin was pretty sure he didn't believe him but he chose not to say anything.

"What's wrong?" He asked instead.

"I don't know. Stomach ache. I'll be fine, I just… I'll just lie down, alright?"

Merlin frowned but nodded anyway. It was pretty obvious that Arthur was lying, but he knew he wouldn't get anything from him right now, so he just lay next to him, letting him rest his head on his chest. He'd get the truth out the next day, one way or another.

* * *

As Morgana walked into her room, she heard he phone ring. She sighed when she saw Morgause's name, but answered anyway.

"Morgause? Why are you calling me so late?"

"I just heard your brother was awake and out of the hospital, is that true?"

"Well…Yes."

"That's amazing! I can't wait to meet him, when can I stop by? He's living with you, isn't he?"

Morgana bit her lip, the weird feeling she always felt when Morgause spoke of Arthur returning, threatening to rip her stomach off. She didn't know why, but she felt like she needed to keep Arthur out of her half sister's grip.

"Well, actually, I don't think it would be very wise for you to meet him now. He just woke up from a six-month coma, and the doctor said he should avoid any stressing situation. I'm pretty sure that telling him I have a new-found sister would stress him out, so maybe it would be better to wait a while, wouldn't it? I can't wait for you to meet him, but I have to think of his health first."

"Oh, of course" Morgause answered, but Morgana could swear she was angry. "Just tell me when you think he's well enough to handle me! But he does live with you, right?"

Morgana ignored her last question and assured her she would call her back. Then, she sat on her bed, overwhelmed by a feeling that Arthur needed to find a new place to stay at, and soon.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

When Merlin woke up, Arthur was already out of bed, and he could hear the water running in the shower. Wanting to figure out why Arthur had lied the night before, he burst in the room and Arthur nearly squealed, bringing a towel to his chest.

" Merlin! What the hell!"

"What? It's not like I've never seen you naked before. And why are you hiding your chest but barely your…"

"Alright, off you go!" Arthur hissed, pushing him out of the room and slamming the door in his face, leaving Merlin to wonder what was going on.

* * *

He had wanted to wait for Arthur to get out of the bathroom, but after waiting for nearly fifteen minutes, he decided the talk could wait, but getting breakfast couldn't.

He found Hunith and Morgana already sitting at the table and eating, and his mother pushed the plate full of pancakes towards him.

"I thought you'd already be gone to work" Merlin told Morgana, who shook her head.

"I have an appointment with Annis at ten, so I decided it'd be useless to go to the office for barely thirty minutes."

Merlin nodded and bit into his pancake, as Arthur finally came down the stairs. Hunith asked him how he was feeling and Arthur smiled, assuring he felt perfectly fine, but Merlin could tell there was something wrong in his voice. He sighed and slightly pushed the plate so that Arthur could grab pancakes too. Arthur smiled at him and grabbed one before turning to Morgana.

"So, when is that party of Gwaine? I don't think you mentioned it last night."

"Tonight, actually." Morgana answered. She put her food down, sipped her drink and looked straight into her brother's eyes. "When are you moving out?"

Arthur froze and frowned."What?"

"You're not going to stay here forever, I forbid it. So I'm only asking when you'll move out, you can't work so you'll have plenty of time to find an apartment."

"Morgana, he just woke up from a coma! Why are you so eager to see us leave?" Merlin scowled, knowing Morgana's words were only comforting Arthur in his stupid idea that his sister didn't really care about him.

"I'm not eager to see you leave, Merlin, I'm only saying that it would be better for everyone if you started looking for a place. And what about your former house, isn't the police done with it now?" She asked Arthur.

"They never called to say he could go back in, so I'd say they're not." Merlin shrugged, and Arthur bit his lip nervously.

"Well actually… They called a few weeks ago. A few weeks before the bomb, I mean."

"What? Why didn't you tell me?"

Merlin realized his tone had been harsher than intended, and went to apologize for it, but Arthur cut him in.

"I don't know I just… I didn't feel like going back into it, so I didn't see the point in telling you I could." He said coldly, obviously annoyed by the importance Merlin was according to this. "And don't worry, Morgs, we won't bother you and your perfect life any longer, we're moving out today."

Morgana rolled her eyes.

"Stop overreacting, I didn't mean it like that!"

"Oh but you did! I know you, this is your way of telling me my presence is annoying you, so I took the hint, thank you very much."

"Oh, this is very mature of you, Arthur, deforming my every word just like you've always done!"

"Arthur, you should think about it" Hunith said softly. "Where will you even go if you leave?"

"We can sleep in a hotel, we'll be fine, won't we Merlin?"

Arthur looked at him expectantly, and Morgana and Hunith did the same, leaving Merlin to stare back with his mouth hanging, looking for the right thing to say.

"Well…"

"Well what? Come on, speak up!" Arthur huffed.

"Yes, speak up Merlin!" Morgana insisted as well.

Merlin gulped, and looked back and forth between Arthur and Morgana. He knew he should try to convince Arthur to stay at his sister's for a while, but he couldn't help but fear his reaction. He had been behaving so weird since he had woken up that Merlin was afraid rejection would only push him away for good.

" I guess we should be fine in a hotel for a few days?" He tried, making it sound more like a question than anything else.

Arthur shot a triumphing "Ah!" at his sister and grabbed Merlin's arm so he would stand up.

"That's settled then! Come on Merlin, let's go pack our things."

"What, right now?" Merlin squealed, trying to ignore Morgana's glares and to follow Arthur without falling.

"Well yes. My sister thinks our being here is a nuisance, so the sooner we leave, the better, right?"

Merlin sighed in answer, and tried to make him see reason once they were alone, but Arthur glared and accused him of having lied when he had said the hotel would be alright, so he sighed and gave up, swearing that as soon as they got to the damn hotel after Gwaine's party, he'd lock them up until Arthur admitted what was wrong with him.

* * *

He didn't actually see much of Arthur for the rest of the day, as he went to work –carefully avoiding Morgana –and when he came back to the hotel Arthur had picked, his boyfriend was nowhere to be seen. Frowning, he sat on the bed and grabbed his phone, dialing Arthur's number.

It ringed again and again until he fell on the voicemail, and Merlin sighed. The hotel was huge and posh, but Merlin didn't like it. Or rather, he didn't like the idea of living in a hotel just because Arthur and Morgana were unable to communicate properly. He paced into the room for a while, before trying to call again, failing. So he took a walk nearby, but as time passed he grew more and more worried, and ended up sitting on the bed again, his phone in one hand as he bit nervously on his other hand's nails, regularly trying to call Arthur.

He was nearly about to call Leon when the door opened on Arthur. Overwhelmed with relief, he jumped into his arms, earning himself an incredulous frown as Arthur awkwardly hugged him back.

"Where the hell were you?" Merlin shouted, hitting Arthur's arm. "Do you have any idea of how worried I was!?"

Arthur had at least the decency of looking a bit guilty.

"I'm sorry, I was bored, I went to see a movie. I didn't think about leaving you a note."

"Well, yes, you didn't think, you arse!"

Arthur sighed softly and pressed a kiss to his jaw. "I'm sorry alright? I swear I'll always leave you notes when I go out from now on. And when we'll be missing milk, and when I'll go to the bathroom, and…"

"Oh shut up!"Merlin hit his arm again, but couldn't help a small smile. Arthur laughed and kissed him lovingly.

"And I'll leave you daily notes to tell you how much I love you."

Merlin snorted.

"You mean you'll leave me "idiot" notes?"

Arthur laughed before grinning. "Yes, absolutely."

* * *

When they arrived to Gwaine's party, everybody else was already there. Merlin spotted Gwen and Lance near the bar, Gwaine was flirting with a blonde girl Merlin didn't know, and Morgana was sipping her drink, looking pretty angry. Merlin decided it would be a good idea to avoid her for a while, and decided to bring Arthur to meet Percy, hoping it would dissolve any doubts Arthur could still have.

Percy was on the phone, but he hung up when he saw them coming.

"Merlin! And you must be Arthur, I heard so much about you that I feel like I've known you forever!"

Arthur arched a brow at Merlin, who smiled and shrugged.

"I need to ask Gwaine something, I'll be right back."

"Ask him what?" Arthur asked.

"Where he put one of my files, I've been looking for it everywhere and I'm pretty sure he took it."

"And it can't wait tomorrow?"

Merlin laughed.

"Arthur, Gwaine won't be drunk tomorrow, but he is now, which means my best shot at getting the truth out of him is right now."

Arthur had to admit he was marking a point.

"Yeah, I guess you're right" He chuckled, and Merlin kissed him briefly before walking to Gwaine.

Truth be told, Gwaine had not stolen any files from him, but he needed an excuse to leave and it was the first thing that crossed his mind. He hoped that by leaving Arthur alone with Percy, he would once and for all understand that nothing was going on between them.

A bit later, Merlin was leaving the bathroom when Gwen and Gwaine cornered him.

"Is everything alright?" He asked, frowning.

"Is there something wrong with Arthur?" Gwaine asked back, and Merlin's frown deepened.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, he's been avoiding us since you arrived. He won't speak to us, or to Morgana but I think she mentioned they've had a fight. Anyway, there must be something wrong."

"Really? That's weird, we were talking to Elyan just a few minutes ago, and Percy told me he and Arthur were getting on, so you must be wrong, he's not avoiding anyone. He even talked to that fiend of yours, Elena. Really guys, you must be overreacting"

"Actually they're right."

Arthur's voice startled Merlin, who jumped in surprise before clasping a hand on his heart.

"Christ, Arthur!"

"What do you mean, we're right?" Gwen turned to Arthur. "So you've been avoiding us?"

Arthur glared at her. "Yes. And I fully intend on continuing to do so." He turned to Merlin and gently took his arm. "You coming? Elyan and Elena want to show us something."

Gwen tried to call him out but Arthur's glare stopped her, and she sighed in defeat.

"Arthur, what's going on?" Merlin demanded as they made their way to Elyan and Elena.

"What do you mean?"

"Gwen and Gwaine. Why are you mad at them, what did they ever do to you?"

Arthur stopped abruptly.

"Do you really need to ask?"

"Yes! I don't understand."

"They tried to set up the man I love with someone else, isn't that reason enough to be mad?"

Merlin couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Arthur" he said softly, wrapping an arm around him. "I've told you billion times that…"

"I know. But that's not…" Arthur sighed, running a hand through his hair, and when his eyes met Merlin's again, he looked so sad Merlin was sure his own heart was breaking. "Can we leave? I'm not trying to… I swear I'll explain, but…"

"Not here" Merlin understood. "Yeah. I'll just let Gwaine know we're leaving."

* * *

The ride to the hotel was calm. Merlin drove and Arthur looked through the window, not saying a word. They walked up the stairs, opened the door, threw their jackets on the bed and sat. Merlin stayed silent, waiting for Arthur to be ready to finally talk to him.

"I know nothing happened with Percy. He said he was more into Gwaine anyway, but… It's just, the fact that they tried, you know? I fell into a coma and all they wanted was for you to get over me. That… that hurts, you know. And" he silenced Merlin with his finger when he tried to answer. "Please let me finish or I'm not sure I'll ever have the strength to do it again. If it had worked, if you had found someone else, I… I don't know what I would have done. I love you, Merlin. I love you so much it scares me sometimes and I'm hurt, and I feel betrayed because they were supposed to be my friends and they didn't believe I would wake up. They didn't think I was worth waiting for."

Merlin closed his eyes for a second and clasped his hand in his.

"I don't think that's how they saw it. I…"

"Merlin, please. I know it may sound childish, but I don't want to talk about it."

Merlin nodded, kissed his cheek and got up to hang the coats properly, only to find him crying when he came back to bed. Biting his lip, he knelt between his parted knees and slowly lifted his chin so they'd be eye to eye.

"I get that you don't want to talk, but if it makes you cry, I…"

"It's not.. Why don't I matter to anyone? What have I done wrong?"

"Arthur, of course you matter!"

"Do I? My friends thought you'd be better off finding someone else after three months of coma, my sister can't stand the idea of me living with her, and… I don't want to lose you too. Maybe they were right, maybe I'm not worth it."

Merlin stood up and took his face in his hands.

"Alright, listen to me. You are worth it, Arthur. I love you, you're a prat, but you're sweet, and you make me laugh, and I don't ever want you to think you're not worthy of anything, because you're worth everything to me."

Arthur smiled sadly. "Do you really mean that?"

"Of course I do."

Arthur took a deep breath, got up and started to work his shirt open.

"What are you doing?"

"I know you didn't believe me when I said I had a stomachache last night, and you were right. I was afraid you'd leave me, that you wouldn't want me anymore, but I want to believe you meant what you said so I…"

He breathed and took his shirt off, revealing a burned mark that went from just below his left nipple and all the way to below his hip, covering about half of his chest.

"That's why you pushed me away?"

Arthur let out a bitter laugh.

"How could you still want me? Look at me, Merlin, I'm some kind of burned freak! Who could ever find that attractive?"

Before Merlin could answer, he added.

"I know you love me, but I don't want you to force yourself to have sex with me."

Merlin sighed and bit softly on his lip before slowly taking Arthur's hand to get him up. Moving slowly so he would not freak Arthur out, he raised his hand and softly placed it on Arthur's waist, right in the middle of the burn. Arthur froze but did not push him away, so Merlin took it as a sign he could take it a step further. He gently stroked the skin, and looked straight into his eyes.

"Do you know what's the first thing I thought when I first saw you?"

"Yeah, that I was a prat."

"No, that was the second thing" Merlin laughed. "The first thing I ever thought was that you were the most beautiful man I had ever seen."

Arthur closed his eyes and sighed. "Merlin…"

"And this" Merlin cut him in, putting just a little more pressure on Arthur's burned skin. "This doesn't change anything. You still are the most beautiful man I've ever seen. And even if it had been half of your face that had been burned, you'd still be perfect to me. I love you, and this is only a reminder that you are a survivor, and it will never, ever keep me from loving you. Or from wanting you."

To prove his point, Merlin pulled Arthur in a heated kiss, pushing his hips forward so Arthur would feel his hardness. Arthur moaned and broke the kiss, pressing his face into Merlin's neck and pulling him closer.

Merlin wanted nothing more than to force it into Arthur's head that all of his insecurities were unfounded, and that their friends, as well as Morgana and himself cared about him more than he knew. But he knew it would be a battle for another day, and that there was a better way to reassure him that night that didn't need words. So he pushed him on the bed and kissed him hard as he got rid of his own clothes. He pressed kisses on every part of his body, including the burn mark, before slowly entering him, and he made sure to show Arthur just how not-disgusted he was by the burn, all night long.

* * *

The following morning, they were still in bed, barely awake, when someone repeatedly knocked on the room's door. Groaning, Merlin wrapped the sheet around him and got up to open it. He then faced a dark-haired man who seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had met him.

"Yes?"

"Is this Mr. Pendragon's room?"

Merlin frowned, but before he could ask for anything, Arthur appeared behind him.

"Yes. What do you want?"

"I'm employed by the hotel. We just wanted to make sure everything was alright."

"It's perfectly fine" Arthur said, and he closed the door to the man's face. "I hate when they do this. Just because I'm a famous businessman, they always think they need to make sure I won't talk badly about their things".

Merlin hummed, still trying to recall where he had seen that man. "Doesn't he seem familiar to you?"

Arthur shook his head. "I don't think I ever saw him before, why?"

"I just… Feel like I've seen him before, but I don't know where."

"Does it really matter?"

Merlin hummed again. "I guess not." He said, but he still had a strange feeling.

* * *

When Arthur slammed the door into Mordred's face, he turned around and took a few steps before taking his phone out. It ringed a few times before someone answered.

"Morgause? I found him."


	13. Chapter 13

Hi ! I'm so sorry it took me so long, I haven't been able to write for a long time. Anyway, we're almost at the end of the story and I hope you'll like this chapter !

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

A few days later, they were still staying at the hotel, in spite of Merlin's pleads for them to go back to Morgana's.

"Merlin, I'm bored!" Arthur whined one morning while Merlin was getting ready for work, and Merlin sighed.

"Yes, I know you are, but you can't come with me, you know you're not allowed to work yet."

Merlin poured some hot water in a mug and put the kettle back on the counter. He added tea, waiting for Arthur to stop whining and realize he could not come to the office, no matter how bored he was.

But Arthur was having none of it, and he stole the mug to take a sip of it, almost spitting it out because of how hot it was, glaring at Merlin's eyeroll.

"This is ridiculous. But fine, I won't work! I just want to come with you, sit around and do nothing."

"You can sit around and do nothing here" Merlin pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

"You know what I mean, _Mer_ lin. I want to talk with people."

Merlin grabbed the mug Arthur was still holding and smirked.

"I'm sure Gwen would come over to keep you company."

"Shut up. I don't want to talk to her. Or Gwaine. Or Morgana."

"And all these people work at the office, so why do you wanna come again?"

Arthur glared at him, and stormed off to go straight into the bathroom, in what he hoped was a dramatic exit. Merlin only rolled his eyes and hummed his tea before drinking it.

* * *

A while later, Merlin was getting in his car, and let out an annoying sigh as he saw Arthur already sitting in the passenger seat. Arthur smiled wildly, feeling smug. He had had to swear he would not do anything work-related, but it was worth it. He wanted to get out of the damned hotel room, and to get a grip on what Morgana was doing with his company. Trust her to mess everything up with her stupid ideas.

He was a little less sure of his plan when they arrived at the office and everyone looked at him like they'd seen a ghost. Gwen smiled shyly at him but he ignored her, Gwaine kept talking on the phone all the while staring at him, and Morgana stormed out of office and glared at Merlin.

"What the hell is he doing here?"

"Don't worry, sister dear, I'm not planning on talking to you, I know how much my presence annoys you" Arthur spat before sitting down on Merlin's chair. Morgana sighed and led Merlin into her office.

"I know what you're thinking, but he was insufferable, I had to say yes! Besides he swore he wouldn't work."

Morgana shook her head and opened her mouth, but she closed it before she could say anything.

"Just keep an eye on him, will you."

In the middle of the afternoon, Morgana had had to go to a meeting and she took Merlin with her, leaving Arthur under Gwaine's surveillance in spite of her brother's loud protests.

"Arthur, look, about Percy…" Gwaine bit his lip, and Arthur had to admit he had never seen his friend looking so genuinely sorry before. It almost made him forgive him. Almost.

"I don't care, Gwaine."

"Come on, we didn't mean to harm anyone! We just wanted Merlin to meet new people, because he… He spent all his time at the hospital; Morgana even had to beg them to forbid him to sleep there so he would go home."

Arthur gulped. He hadn't known that. Truth be told, he could actually see what pushed his friends to try and get him away from Arthur's hospital room, but he still felt bitter about how they tried to do it.

"There were other ways" he muttered.

"Yes, and we had already tried them all. Do you really think Percy was our first idea? But it had been four months, and Merlin still spent all his free time at your side! We didn't mean for him to forget you, we only wanted him to actually have a life again. And Percy's adorable, he's like a gigantic teddy bear, so Gwen and I thought Merlin would like him. As a friend."

Arthur didn't say anything, and Gwaine sighed. "And, as much as it pains me to say so, I am sorry it hurt you."

Arthur nodded but didn't answer, and Gwaine left, probably forgetting or willing to ignore Morgana's command that he must stay with him at all time.

* * *

Arthur was getting bored when someone stopped in front of him. He raised his eyes to see a blonde woman who smiled at him. "Hello, my name is Morgause and I'd like to speak with Morgana."

"She's not there. What is it about?"

"Well, last week I brought her a partnership offer, because I thought our companies would do wonders together, but she denied the offer, and I'd like to know why."

"Morgana will be away most of the afternoon. I suggest you…" Arthur stopped mid-sentence, wondering why Morgana hadn't told him about this partnership offer. She might be ruling the company these days, but it was still _his_. He then changed his mind and smiled at Morgause. "I suggest you come with me and explain your offer. I'm head of the company, the decision is mine, not Morgana's."

They had barely entered Arthur's office –in which Morgana had obviously settled –when his phone rang. He thought about letting it ring, but gave up when he read Merlin's name. If he didn't answer, he would know he was doing something work-related.

"Hey."

"Arthur, do you remember the guy from the hotel? The one who came in the other morning, asking about you?"

Merlin sounded frantic, and Arthur frowned. "Yeah, sort of, why?"

"I know why he seemed familiar to me. He's the guy I met in the elevator at Percy's. He was asking about you already, so I think he might be part of the stalker's team. Did you see him after that day?"

"I… I don't know, I don't think so."

"Arthur please, it's important."

"I know, but I barely remember his face, Merlin!"

"Alright, that's it. We're going back to your sister."

"What? No! Merlin!" Arthur cursed when he realized Merlin was gone. He huffed and put his phone away before going back to Morgause.

* * *

When they came back to the hotel that night, Arthur claimed he would not go back to his sister's.

"And why not? Come on, you two have to stop fighting, this is ridiculous!"

"She did something I disagree with. With the company, I mean, and I don't want to talk to her about it."

"And how would you know? You swore you wouldn't do anything work-related."

Arthur bit his lip. "I know, but that woman showed up, and she had really great ideas, and I don't see why Morgana said no to a partnership with her."

"Then ask her. I'm sure she has a really good reason."

"Yeah, and I know which one: annoy me, sink my company and ruin my life."

Merlin rolled his eyes and put down the plate he was holding, slowly. "For God's sake, stop being so dramatic! She doesn't hate you, you know!"

Arthur snorted. "Anyway, I'm not living with her again. You can go, since you obviously want to!"

Merlin clenched his jaw and grabbed Arthur's arm as he tried to leave the room. "Alright, that's enough. I'm done. You are unbearable, Arthur! I get it, alright! I know that waking up from a coma is hard, I know that you're upset with this stupid burn mark on your body, and I know that you're insecure and feel like your sister doesn't care about you that much, but this is enough ! I'm doing everything I can for you, even going against the doctor's advice and hell I'm even ready to stay in this damned hotel if you want to, but I will not have you take it out on me like that!"

Arthur stared at him for a minute, dumbfounded, before his features hardened. "Well then you can leave me, I won't force you to stay" he said coldly before he left the hotel room, shutting the door.

* * *

Arthur felt guilty, so he didn't come home until late that night, hoping Merlin would be asleep. As the room was dark, he quietly took his clothes off and got in the bed, trying not to wake Merlin. When someone cleared their throat, he jumped out of bed and put the light on.

"For God's sake Merlin ! You scared me!"

"Good."

Merlin seemed mad, and Arthur sat back on the bed slowly. "I'm sorry alright. I shouldn't have said that."

"Yes well, that's not enough."

Arthur frowned. Was Merlin actually going to leave him because of his bad mood?

"I want to understand, Arthur. And don't tell me that you're just confused because of the coma and all, because I know that already, and I know there's more. This whole damned thing with the stalker and the coma, and the burning marks… They can't explain your reactions. They can't explain why you're so mad at Gwen and Gwaine, why you won't believe that Morgana cares, and why you keep thinking I'm going to walk away someday."

"And what do you want me to tell you, uh? That I never had a mother? That all that mattered for my father was his company and his reputation, that he beat me up the day I told him I was gay? How he told me all my life that I was not good enough and that I never would be? That even if I was lucky enough to find someone who loved me, they'd end up walking away for someone who was not a failure? Someone who could behave at work reunions, someone who would not get bored and humiliate their fathers when he took them with him as a child? How my mother would be disappointed in me? Or maybe you want me to tell you about how he rejected Morgana, because she wasn't legitimate? How he pushed her away, and lied to me so that I only learned she was in fact my sister when I was fifteen? How he kept telling me she was a snake and would bite me to take what is mine? And how maybe, somehow, I let him enter my mind? Is that what you want to hear?"

Arthur was on the verge of tears now, and Merlin pulled him into his arms without a word. He simply held him, long into the night.

* * *

In the morning, Merlin woke up first, and silently got out of bed, trying to let Arthur sleep. He texted Morgana to let her know he would not go to work, and that he'd come to see her in the afternoon. Then, he made some eggs and bacon, poured hot coffee into a cup, and waited for Arthur to wake up.  
When he did, Arthur sat at the table with him, taking the cup he was handing him.

"I'm sorry about last night. Well actually I'm sorry about how I behaved since I woke up from that damn coma, but.."

"Arthur, it's fine. I just… You never told me all these things and I… I couldn't understand why you were reacting that way. Maybe I shouldn't have pushed you so far, but I love you and it breaks my heart to see like this, to know you're so insecure. I only want to help you."

Arthur smiled and took his hand, stroking it softly. "I'd like that. For you to help me escape my father's thoughts, I mean."

Merlin smiled back and nodded. "Besides" Arthur added, "I thought about it and you're right. If you think that guy could work for the stalker, we should leave. But I don't want to go at Morgana's."

Merlin sighed. "Arthur, please…"

Arthur shushed him with a move of his hand. "No, Merlin, hear me out. I wanted to tell you yesterday when we got home, but then you spoke of Morgana and I got mad and…well. The thing is, I found a house."

"You what?"

"I… It's a bit further from work than here or your former house but it looks nice, and it's big and… I like it. I'm only asking you to come and visit it with me."

Merlin grinned. "Of course I will!"

"Yeah?"

Merlin nodded and kissed him. "Yes. But if we both want it, I think we should not live there until we're done with the stalker."

Arthur groaned. "Merlin, that could take forever!"

"I know. But think about it, two houses have already been ruined, I don't want to lose another home. Besides, it will give us some time to… work on our problems."

"We don't have any problems. I do."

"Yes well, I decided that your problems were mine too a long time ago, and that's not going to change, so suck it Pendragon."

Arthur laughed and nodded. "Fine, we can go back at Morgana's for a while."

* * *

They ate, talked some more about Arthur's childhood and had a few rounds of loving then heated sex before Arthur left to meet Morgause and Merlin to see Morgana.

"So you're coming back home?" She asked.

"Yes. I mean, Arthur found a house he likes, so we'll go visit it, but even if we buy it I convinced him to stay at your place until the stalker is found."

"Yes, well about that… Leon called me, they found the cop who was supposed to protect your house, but he won't say anything. They're trying to get more information out of him. But I told him to check another lead."

"What lead?"

"My half-sister."

Merlin's eyes grew wide. "Your what?"

"My half-sister. I met her when Arthur was in the coma but I didn't tell you because… Well because you had other problems. But I think she's shady. She had a weird interest in Arthur from the beginning, and I don't know, but I have a very bad feeling. Actually that's why I asked Arthur when he would move out, because she kept asking if he lived with me. So I asked Leon to investigate her as well."

"Have you told Arthur?"

"No. I know I should have, but I know it'll stress him out. Our family isn't exactly…"

"Yeah I know about that. Just heard about it this morning actually."

"Arthur talked to you about Uther?" Morgana seemed genuinely surprised.

"Yes. We had a fight and he… Whatever, the point is he told me. Or he's telling me at least."

Morgana breathed in and out slowly. "Did he speak of me?"

Merlin bit his lip. "Yeah. Morgana look, Arthur loves you, I know he does. But it seems that he can't help but think that you…"

"That I'm trying to use him, that I don't actually care?" She snorted. "That's typical from Uther. That bastard ruined him. Never wondered why he never had an actual relationship before you?"

"Don't take this wrong, but I kind of hate your family. Speaking of, what does your half-sister look like? So I can describe her to Arthur, make sure she doesn't get to him?"

Morgana described her briefly. Then she bit her lip and said "He's not dead."

Merlin frowned. "Uh?"

"Uther. When he retired and named Arthur head of the company, I knew he would still try to control everything. What he wanted was to make Arthur his puppet, and I couldn't let that happen. So I… I used my friendship with Leon to make sure he'd never get near my brother again, and I told Arthur he was dead in a car accident."

"Where is he now? What did you and Leon do?"

Morgana smiled. "I think you should go now Merlin."

Merlin gulped but knew better than to try and force Morgana's hand, so he turned around and left. Until he remembered the partnership thing, and went back to her office.

"Merlin please leave it."

"No, that's not…. Did you turn down a partnership?"

"What? No, why?"

"A woman came to Arthur yesterday. She said you turned down her partnership offer and wanted to know why. Arthur looked at her offer and found it great, so he's actually seeing her right now to discuss it some more. But with what you just said, I just…"

Morgana paled. "I have not received any offer since the bomb, Merlin."

Merlin gulped and ran out of the building, ignoring Morgana's pleads to wait for her.


End file.
